(NEXSTAR) — For the teams at the top of the order in the 2025 NFL Draft, their pick depends on how the chips fall, and whether they want to pay a premium for their quarterback of the future or take a generational talent on defense.

In Nexstar’s “The Pick is In” draft preview in the video player above, Nexstar’s Steve Infanti and Allie Berube talk to insiders from around the NFL about where pieces might fall and which teams might be desperate to upgrade at the quarterback position.

Mock drafters and draft gurus have all but reached a consensus that Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward will be selected by the Tennessee Titans.

Ward’s performance in his final college season saw him win the Davey O’Brien and Manning Award, both naming him the top quarterback in the country. He also finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

The quarterback play for the Titans in 2024 left a lot to be desired and after the impressive pro day that Ward put together, he could be just what the team is looking for to replace Will Levis and Mason Rudolph.

“The people I have around me in my circle they always kept me level headed. The way I play the game is not to get too high or too low. It goes back to me not forgetting where I came from,” Ward said at his pro day workout. “It was at one point where I had one camera looking at me, now I got the whole world looking at me.”

If Ward lands in Tennessee, the next quarterback who hopes to hear his name called is Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders.

Sanders was at the helm of the high-flying Colorado offense, passing for over 4,000 yards and 37 touchdowns his senior season.

But for the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants picking at number two and three, respectively, the choice is not as straightforward.

“If you want to read between the lines, I would go back to what Browns owner Jimmy Haslem said at the NFLs annual meeting in Florida,” Andrew Siciliano, voice of the Cleveland Browns, said. “They are not going to reach for the quarterback. He wanted to caution fans, the long-term answer at quarterback may not be in this draft.”

For the Giants, they may not be in a rush to find their franchise quarterback after they signed two veteran quarterbacks this offseason, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.

Aside from Sanders, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe are the quarterback prospects that have been increasing their stock ahead of the draft.

If the Browns and the Giants decide not to go with paying a premium on a quarterback prospect, they could go with a versatile defensive superstar.

Penn State’s Abdul Carter played both linebacker and edge rusher in college, while Colorado’s Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy playing cornerback and wide receiver.

Carter has garnered comparisons to his fellow Nittany Lion Micah Parsons, who leads the Cowboys’ defense and is viewed as one of the best prospects in the draft overall.

Hunter’s last season in Boulder, Colorado, was unlike anything anyone had seen before. He played over 700 snaps on offense and over 700 snaps on defense. He was listed as a cornerback at the NFL Draft Combine solely because he was required to make a designation to attend.

“That’s not my job to figure it out. I like to play both sides of the ball, if they give me the opportunity to play both sides of the ball, I’m gonna play both sides,” Hunter said.

Not many players have even made the attempt to play both offense and defense in the NFL, but Hunter’s coach at Colorado, Deion “Prime” Sanders, may have been the best teacher for the dual-threat prospect. The Hall of Fame cornerback occasionally lined up at wide receiver during his NFL career.

Round one of the 2025 NFL Draft will begin on Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m. ET live from Green Bay, Wisconsin.