The Titans Hope Top Nfl Draft Pick Cam Ward Can Lead Them Back To Winning

The Tennessee Titans hope picking a quarterback in the first round for the third time in 15 NFL drafts proves to be the charm.

The Titans took Miami's Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall selection Thursday night after turning down trade offers throughout the draft process.

"I just think that if you identify a franchise quarterback, there's really not a price you can pay for that in my mind," said new Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi, who was part of the staff in Kansas City that traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes in 2017.

Ward grew on the Titans as the evaluation process unfolded, impressing both coach Brian Callahan and Borgonzi. The general manager noted the Titans had made up their mind that Ward would be their pick about three weeks ago.

"We felt comfortable when we made that decision," Borgonzi said. "The talent was there. I think the one thing that stood out to me when I first started watching him was - a lot of quarterbacks have great arm talent coming out - but the one thing that really stood out to me was really just his instincts and his processing ability, the spatial awareness he has on the field, his pocket awareness."