Kiper has had Ward being selected by the Titans throughout most of the offseason. He did swap in Abdul Carter at No. 1 overall in his second mock released on Feb. 25, but Ward has been in the top spot in each of his last two projections.

On Tuesday, ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. took his best stab at predicting where Sanders would ultimately end up—and it's not as far down as many would have predicted. Per Kiper, the New Orleans Saints will pick Sanders with the No. 9 overall pick, securing their quarterback of the future under new head coach Kellen Moore.

Much has been made about the quality of the 2025 NFL draft quarterback class, but Mel Kiper projects five of them going in the first 34 picks.