Upon first glance, being selected first overall in the NFL draft seems like a pretty sweet deal. Not only does that status come with a nice salary, but it also sets you on the path to stardom. Nothing is guaranteed, but entering the league with a (relatively) safe job is much better than fighting for a place at the bottom of the roster.But, as the cliché goes, with great power comes great responsibility. And, in the case of a first overall pick, that responsibility often comes in the form of great expectations. When a franchise rates you that highly, it's your job to step in and turn things around.Have you ever wondered what it's like to feel that weight on your shoulders? Well, allow Alex Smith to explain.Long before his horrific injury (and incredible comeback) in Washington, the quarterback was selected first overall in the 2005 NFL draft. And while it earned him a rookie contract worth just under $50 million, it also piled on the pressure."Yeah, it's a lot," he told Newsweek during the 2025 NFL Draft. "It was something that I had never dealt with anything even close to that. You know, I was a 20-year-old kid when I got drafted, number one overall. And all of a sudden, you're on the cover of every newspaper in the country. And again, like you said, the face of a franchise, a billion-dollar organization, like the San Francisco 49ers. And, again, there's immense pressure to perform."Even though it's easy to think of football players as modern-day gladiators who dive headfirst into the arena, going first overall also raised an emotion we all understand: fear."And for me, it really kicked in a lot of fear of failure. Right. For me, I dealt with that and struggled with that for a long, long time," Smith added. "You know, the fear of becoming a bust. I wanted so badly to validate to all the fans and the organization that I was worth the pick."While the quarterback was labeled a bust and a game manager during his time in the Bay Area, things eventually changed. After moving to Kansas City, he earned three Pro Bowl nods and the accompanying recognition. Patrick Mahomes understandably receives much of the credit for the Chiefs' turnaround, but longtime fans will remember how Smith and Andy Reid were the ones who got things moving in the right direction.But with Cam Ward now facing a similar situation, landing in Tennessee and being expected to turn a struggling franchise around, Smith does think that things have evolved a bit over the years for today's rookies."I think the encouraging thing is, I look at the landscape now and it's changed," the former 49er explained. "A couple of things. One, a guy like Cam Ward, he's had an extensive college career. He's played at three colleges. The somewhat professionalization of the college game has allowed these guys to stay in college longer. It's encouraged them to stay in college longer, to play more; therefore, they're older. They have more under their belt. They're a little more prepared to step up to the NFL. It just wasn't the case for me then. You didn't have that."Financial realities have also changed in the league. While making millions of dollars in the blink of the eye can seem like a dream come true, it also adds to the weight of expectations."The other thing is, I also I do like that there's a rookie weight scale now. You know, again, when I entered and signed my first professional contract, I was one of the highest paid players in the league as a 20-year-old," Smith said. "And I hadn't done anything. And there was immense pressure again and weight that came with that as well. I think it's nice that the rookie wage scale's locked in; these guys come into a fixed kind of salary and then can earn everything from there. I do think that eases some of the pressure that's on their shoulders."Is that a guarantee of success? No, but, as all athletes know, getting practice reps is a key part of success."I think there's a natural progression for these guys. They've been somewhat of a semiprofessional athlete at the college level," Smith concluded. "They've played longer, and it's not quite the leap to jump up to the NFL. And I think that's one of the reasons why we've seen such rookie success, especially at the quarterback position the last couple of years."If you're a Titans fan hitching your wagon to Ward, you'll certainly hope he's right.