NFL Draft: How to watch, dates, draft order and potential top picks

The NFL draft kicks off Thursday night and Miami quarterback Cam Ward is still the overwhelming favorite to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.

After that, there should be a lot more intrigue.

Colorado's two-way star, Travis Hunter, and his quarterback teammate Shedeur Sanders, Penn State's Abdul Carter, Michigan's Mason Graham and LSU's Will Campbell are all expected to be among the early picks.

Sanders — son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders — is among a contingent of legacy players in this year's draft and also one of the more polarizing prospects.

There's also a bit of a running back renaissance in the NFL these days, with teams eyeing Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton in the first round.

Ward has tried to solidify his status as the top pick over the last few months, working out for all 32 NFL teams at Miami's on-campus pro day.

“They finally got to see me throw in person. That should be all they need to see,” Ward said. “At the end of the day, if they want to give me the pick or not, I’m going to be happy with whatever team I go to. I just want to play football."

Advanced analytics have de-emphasized the running back position over the past decade, but the performances of stars like Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley and Baltimore's Derrick Henry have front offices thinking more about spending a high pick on the position.

The three-day draft will be held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is the home of the Green Bay Packers.

Here are a few things to know about the upcoming draft:

The first round will be on Thursday beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The second and third rounds are on Friday beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

The fourth through seventh rounds are on Saturday beginning at noon ET.

All three days will be televised on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.

Ward and Sanders are the top quarterback prospects, though they won't necessarily be the first two picks like Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels in 2024 and Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud in 2023.

Carter and Hunter are also highly rated prospects, meaning that a non-QB could theoretically be the No. 1 overall selection for the first time since defensive end Travon Walker was the top pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.

For more information on the top picks, here is the mock draft by AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi.

These were the selections in the first round of the 2024 draft. Here are the teams that currently possess the top 10 picks of the upcoming draft.

1. Tennessee Titans

2. Cleveland Browns

3. New York Giants

4. New England Patriots

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

6. Las Vegas Raiders

7. New York Jets

8. Carolina Panthers

9. New Orleans Saints

10. Chicago Bears

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

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)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said Thursday.

No decisions have been made on whether to file charges against the 44-year-old driver, said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly at a news conference. The driver, who was not injured, is not in custody, Kelly said.

Evidence that she may have had a medical emergency was “not conclusive” and the investigation is ongoing, Kelly said.

The car went off the road Monday, crossing a field and smashing into the side of the building in Chatham used by Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, also known as YNOT. It traveled through the building, striking people before exiting the other side. Six other children were hospitalized, including one left in critical condition.

Security camera footage showed the vehicle was “a substantial distance” away when it left the roadway, said Jamie Loftus, founder of YNOT Outdoors. After speeding across a field, it crossed a road, the sidewalk and YNOT’s parking lot before crashing through the building “with no apparent attempt to alter its direction,” Loftus said earlier this week. The vehicle then crossed a gravel road and crashed into a pole and fence.

Chatham is a community of about 15,000 people outside of the Illinois capital of Springfield.

Those killed were Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield, Ainsley Johnson, 8, Kathryn Corley, 7, and Alma Buhnerkempe, 7. All of the children were from Chatham.

Damage is visible at the scene after a car barreled through a building used for an after-school camp Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Chatham, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)