The Tennessee Titans explored all their options with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
They can’t pass up a shot at a potential franchise quarterback.
If the Titans were going to trade the pick for more draft assets, a deal would’ve happened already. Coach Brian Callahan said “there is no price that you can put on those type of players if you think they’re that caliber of quarterback.”
Miami’s Cam Ward has seemingly convinced the Titans he can be that guy.
So, the real intrigue begins with the Cleveland Browns at No. 2. They need a franchise QB, too. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders will be available but two-way star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter are more likely to go there.
Here’s the third and final edition of the AP’s 2025 mock draft:
Ward has impressed Tennessee’s staff with his talent, knowledge and confidence. After setting school records at Miami in 2024, Ward could be a long-term answer for the Titans.
Ward led the nation with 39 touchdown passes and finished second with 4,313 yards passing while leading the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record.
Hunter, the Heisman winner, wants to play cornerback and wide receiver and the Browns need help at both positions. After trading for Kenny Pickett, they signed 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco, who helped Cleveland reach the playoffs two years ago.
With Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston signed, the Giants don’t have an urgent need to select a quarterback. They don’t seem sold on Sanders and Carter is the premier pass rusher in the draft. He had 12 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss last year for Penn State.
Even before Derek Carr’s shoulder injury, the Saints were looking at quarterbacks. The Jets are a threat to take Sanders at No. 7 so trading up ensures New Orleans snatches him. The Patriots add more draft assets by moving down. The Saints haven’t drafted a QB in the first round since Archie Manning in 1971.
Mock trade: Saints acquire the 4th overall pick and a 2026 third-round pick for the ninth overall pick, a third-round pick (71), a fourth-rounder (112) and a 2026 second-rounder.
The versatile Graham could be the best interior defensive lineman in the draft. He’d boost a unit that includes edge rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.
Jeanty is a special talent who would immediately upgrade a rushing attack that was among the worst in the NFL last season. The Raiders acquired Geno Smith to address their need for a QB and an elite back would balance the offense.
The 6-foot-6, 319-pound Campbell is athletic and agile and ready for the NFL after facing elite talent in college. The Jets have several needs, starting with a right tackle. Olu Fashanu started at both tackle spots last year. He could return to the right side with Campbell staying put on the left side or vice versa.
The Panthers had a historically bad defense, allowing an NFL-record 534 points and 3,057 yards rushing. Adding a skill player is tempting but that defense desperately needs a boost. Drafting players from Georgia worked for the Philadelphia Eagles so either Walker or Mykel Williams would fit. Walker’s leadership ability gives him an edge for a team that needs to learn how to win.
Though he played right tackle in college, Membou has the size (6-foot-4, 332 pounds) and athleticism to move to guard and potentially switch to left tackle, where the Patriots have a need. Membou ran a 4.91-second 40-yard dash at the combine, second fastest of all linemen. Trading down, adding more picks and still landing an elite tackle would be a major win for New England.
Warren is a do-it-all tight end who fits in nicely in coach Sean Payton’s offense. Warren set a school record with 104 receptions last season, and his 1,233 yards were the most by a tight end.
Mock trade: Broncos acquire the 10th overall pick and a fifth-rounder (148) for the 20th overall pick, a third-rounder (85), a sixth (191) and a 2026 second-rounder.
The 49ers add an immensely talented athlete who has the rare power and speed to be a major force in the middle of San Francisco’s defensive line. Grant (6-4, 331 pounds) fills a big void after the departure of Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins.
The Cowboys have several needs but can’t pass up the top wideout in the draft. Pairing McMillan with CeeDee Lamb gives Dak Prescott a dynamic receiving duo.
Barron is a proven, tested and versatile player who can replace Jalen Ramsey.
A three-year starter at left tackle, Banks could slide to right guard to replace Will Fries and eventually move back to tackle for the Colts.
The Falcons don’t have to look far to find a pass rusher they need. The Falcons were bottom third on defense in 2024 and lost defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
Campbell is a versatile player who can excel off-ball or on-ball and has strong coverage skills.
Stewart is an elite athlete who wowed scouts at the combine. He has potential to be a disruptive force anywhere on the defensive line. The Bengals need defensive help and Stewart has top 10 ability.
Booker is an immediate starter who provides a big boost to Seattle’s offensive line. He was among the most impressive performers at the combine.
The Buccaneers upgraded their pass rush by adding Haason Reddick in free agency but an edge rusher is still in play at this spot. However, they need to upgrade at cornerback and Johnson is a potential top-10 pick who slips because of injury history.
He’s a big, strong back with speed who gives the Bears another playmaker around Caleb Williams. Hampton is often mocked to Chicago at No. 10 so trading down, adding assets and still getting him is a huge win.
Nolen is a plug-and-play starter with the potential to make an immediate impact for a defense that has a void in the middle of the line.
A talented pass-catching tight end reunites with coach Jim Harbaugh and gives Justin Herbert a potential top target.
Green is a talented pass rusher who gives the Packers instant defensive help.
Emmanwori’s stock soared at the combine. He could be a difference-maker in the secondary for Minnesota.
Simmons, who is coming off a torn patellar tendon in October, would be a higher pick if he wasn’t rehabbing his knee. He’s super talented and has played both tackle spots. The Texans traded away Laremy Tunsil and added veteran tackles Cam Robinson and Trent Brown, along with veteran guards Laken Tomlinson and Ed Ingram.
A versatile cornerback who can play outside or in the slot, Morrison gives the Rams depth, especially with three cornerbacks entering the final year of a contract.
Ezeiruaku gives the Ravens an athletic and productive pass rusher to provide depth behind Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy, who both enter the final year of contracts.
The Lions fill a need for a pass rusher to complement Aidan Hutchinson. Pearce had an impressive combine, running a 4.47-second 40 and showed his versatility.
Starks is an elite safety who would boost a secondary that lost strong safety Jeremy Chinn.
The Bills need depth on the defensive line and the 6-foot-4, 313-pound Harmon is considered one of the better prospects in the draft.
Protecting Patrick Mahomes is a priority after the Eagles dominated the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Zabel helps replace All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, whom the Chiefs traded to the Bears.
The Steelers land a quarterback to eventually succeed Aaron Rodgers, if he ends up in Pittsburgh. The Super Bowl champion Eagles add more draft assets for the future.
Mock trade: The Steelers get the 32nd pick, and a third-rounder in 2026 for a third-rounder (No. 83), a 2026 first and a 2026 fifth.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) takes part in passing drills during Colorado's NFL football pro day Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski,File)
FILE - Penn State defensive lineman Abdul Carter throws during the school's NFL football pro day, Friday, March 28, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Freed,File)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) takes part in passing drills during Colorado's NFL football pro day Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowsk,File)
FILE - Miami quarterback Cam Ward watches a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV,File)
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Ukraine are set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, both countries said Thursday, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey.
Zelenskyy said he is sending a team headed by his defense minister from the Turkish capital Ankara to Istanbul to meet a Russian delegation, even though Moscow's side doesn’t include “anyone who actually makes decisions.”
The Ukrainian side would be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and its aim is “to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation, the first steps toward ending the war — namely, a ceasefire,” he said.
Few had expected Putin to show up in Turkey, and his absence punctured any hope of significant progress toward ending the 3-year-old war amid peace efforts in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders. It also raised the prospect of intensified international sanctions on Russia that have been threatened by the West.
Zelenskyy, who flew Thursday to Ankara after challenging Putin to sit down with him, accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level negotiating team that he described as “a theater prop.”
His proposal to Putin came amid a flurry of maneuvering last weekend as each side sought a diplomatic advantage.
Zelenskyy said he decided to send the delegation to Istanbul to demonstrate to U.S. President Donald Trump that Ukraine wants to end the fighting.
The war has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the U.N. Russian forces are preparing a fresh military offensive, Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say.
At least five civilians were killed and 29 wounded in the past day, according to authorities in five eastern regions of Ukraine where Russia is trying to advance.
The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said in Istanbul that the representatives were ready to meet Ukrainian officials.
“The task of these direct negotiations with Ukraine is to establish long-term peace sooner or later by eliminating the root causes of this conflict,” he said in a brief statement.
It was not clear when they would meet. Medinsky said late Thursday that the Russian delegation would be waiting for Ukrainian officials at 10 a.m. Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would confer Friday in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Ukrainian delegation, adding that the Russian delegation would be meeting with other members of the U.S. team and that he hoped all sides could get together.
“We don’t have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow. And frankly, at this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin,” Rubio told reporters in Antalya, Turkey, where he was attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier welcomed Zelenskyy to the presidential palace in Ankara for their own talks. Zelenskyy heads Friday to Albania for a gathering of European officials.
The diplomatic maneuvering began Saturday when European leaders met Zelenskyy in Kyiv and urged the Kremlin to agree to a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire as a first step toward peace. Putin responded early Sunday by proposing direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. Then came Zelenskyy's challenge to Putin for face-to-face talks.
After days of silence, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov finally said Thursday that Putin had no plans to travel to Istanbul in the next few days.
Trump said he was not surprised that Putin was a no-show. He had pressed for Putin and Zelenskyy to meet but brushed off the Kremlin leader’s decision not to attend.
“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump told reporters in Doha, Qatar, on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.
Trump said a meeting between him and Putin was crucial to breaking the deadlock.
“I don’t believe anything’s going to happen whether you like it or not, until (Putin) and I get together,” he said on Air Force One while traveling from Doha to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”
Peskov said Putin has no plans to meet with Trump in the coming days.
Medinsky, Putin's aide, is leading the Russian team that also includes three other senior officials, the Kremlin said. Putin also appointed four lower-level officials as “experts” for the talks in Istanbul.
Also absent from the talks were Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, both of whom represented Russia at talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia in March.
The top-level Ukrainian delegation included Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, a Ukrainian official said. Zelenskyy will sit at the negotiating table only with Putin, said presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.
Putin met Wednesday with senior government officials and members of the delegation in preparation for the talks, Peskov said. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov and National Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu attended.
The Kremlin billed the Istanbul talks as a “restart” of peace negotiations held there in 2022 that quickly collapsed. Moscow accused Ukraine and the West of wanting to continue fighting, while Kyiv said Russia’s demands amounted to an ultimatum, not something both sides could agree on. That delegation also was also headed by Medinsky.
Putin's proposal came after more than three months of diplomacy kick-started by Trump, who promised during his campaign to end the war swiftly, although it's been hard to pull off. The Trump administration in recent weeks indicated it might walk away from the effort if there was no tangible progress soon.
Sybiha, the Ukrainian foreign minister, met with Rubio and Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday night in Antalya.
Sybiha reaffirmed Ukraine’s support for Trump’s mediation efforts and thanked the U.S. for its continued involvement, urging Moscow to “reciprocate Ukraine’s constructive steps” toward peace. "So far, it has not,” Sybiha said.
On Thursday morning, Sybiha also met with other European foreign ministers, including his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, who in a post on X reiterated the call for a ceasefire and the threat of “massive sanctions” if Russia doesn't comply.
“We’re in a very difficult spot right now, and we hope that we can find the steps forward that provide for the end of this war in a negotiated way and the prevention of any war in the future," Rubio said Thursday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of “standing in the way of peace.”
“There was only one country that started this conflict — that was Russia. That was Putin. There’s only one country now standing in the way of peace — that is Russia. That is Putin,” he said in a visit to Tirana, Albania.
Barrot echoed that sentiment: “In front of Ukrainians, there is an empty chair, one that should have been occupied by Vladimir Putin,” he said. Putin "is dragging his feet and in all evidence does not want to enter into these peace discussions.”
Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels; Illia Novikov and Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine; Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia; Aamer Madhani in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Matthew Lee in Antalya, Turkey, contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Airport workers prepare a carpet before arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Russian presidential aide, Vladimir Medinsky, gives an statement to journalists at the Russian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks to journalists at the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks to journalists at the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
Ayse Sahil, whose family emigrated from Bolshevik in Russia, holds a board near Dolmabahce palace where talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Dilara Acikgoz)
Turkish security members stand guard at Dolmabahce palace where talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Dilara Acikgoz)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks down the stairs from his plane upon his arrival at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gestures to journalists as he leaves upon his arrival at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks to journalists as he arrives at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian official plane, background, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on board lands at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting on forthcoming Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting on forthcoming Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
