Former Titans GM signs off on Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward’s starting capabilities for rookie season

Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are considered to be the top two quarterbacks in the upcoming 2025 NFL draft. Either of the two Football Championship Subdivision signal-callers is expected to go as the first pick at the draft event in Green Bay in April.

However, there's a growing discussion among fans and media alike on their ability to start as rookies. While Sanders and Ward have excelled in the past few years in college football, there are some doubts about their potential to thrive in the pros.

Former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon weighed in on the discussion on Monday on the “104-5 The Zone” podcast.

“I think both of those guys are worthy and are capable of being starters in the National Football League,” Carthon said. “I think they've shown that in their play.”

Ran Carthon explains why Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are good enough to start in the NFL

After affirming their ability as potential NFL starters, Ran Carthon gave reasons why both Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward are good enough, citing the versatility of the two quarterbacks as a huge advantage.

"The cool thing, if you look at both of their situations, is they've both started at other schools – other programs and they came in and continue to lead programs to success," Carthon said. "You look at Cam, he started at Incarnate Word and then Washington State and then Miami.

"And then you look at Shedeur. I think people forget that Shedeur coming out was an FAU commit to Willie Taggart at the time. He went to Jackson State – won at Jackson State. Went to Colorado – lifted that program up, had them in contention for the conference championship."

The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. While Ran Carthon won't be in charge of deciding the pick following his firing on Jan. 7, he's already offered the upcoming setup of the franchise front office some clues in deciding the next quarterback.

As it stands, Cam Ward is the more likely selection for the Titans as the first pick. This is due to the possibility that Shedeur Sanders might refuse to sign with some teams as speculated by a couple of insiders.