Presumptive No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft Cam Ward wrapped up his Pro Day at the University of Miami by proclaiming to Cameron Wolfe and Brian Baldinger that, "I'm solidifying that today." The 22, soon-to-be 23-year-old out of the Houston area has had a long football journey that's taken him from Incarnate Wood, Washington State, and most recently, The U, and it certainly feels like Nashville, Tennessee, will be the next destination for him.
But what do you need to know about Cam Ward if you weren't in the College Football trenches in 2024? Opting to transfer to Miami for a fifth year of ball instead of entering the draft, Ward took the sport by storm with a tremendous season that netted him several high-end accolades, such as the Davey O'Brien and Manning Awards, ACC Player of the Year, and Consensus All-American Honors.
However, a big storyline to end his tenure as a Hurricane was that Ward sat out the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, a game in which Miami lost by one point to Iowa State with a 10-point second half. That has lowered his stock in the eyes of some, but I didn't want that to be the only example of his compete level on my mind before the draft. Here's what I have on the potential next franchise QB of the Tennessee Titans.
Player Bio
Name: Cam Ward
Jersey: No. 1
Position: Quarterback
School: The U (By way of Washington State and Incarnate Wood)
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 219 lbs
Games Watched: vs. Wisconsin (2022), vs Washington and Oregon (2023), vs. Florida and Virginia Tech (2024)
Player Breakdown
Arm Talent (14.25/15)
Having the ability to zip the ball with excellent upper body mechanics and the ability to throw from multiple arm slots is a great set of traits for Ward to have. You got to see a lot of that second part in these quick outside RPOs with some sidearm throws, but the biggest thing is his ability to get the ball out quickly doesn't hurt his velocity. He's not on the level of last year's big three, but Ward's arm talent is easily one of his best traits.
Accuracy (13/15)
Ward's precision on some of these intermediate/deep shots is as legit as it gets, but overall, he was a tad inconsistent with his ball placement. The two specific things that I saw were mainly sailing balls a bit high and throwing behind guys working toward the middle or sideline. You could link some of that to some inconsistent footwork, which we'll get to later.
Decision Making (11.75/15)
Ward is capable of stretches of great decision-making but was often guilty of just the opposite over his five-year college career. He has 37 career picks to his name over five seasons of college ball, in addition to 13 fumbles over his last three seasons. His outing vs. Virginia Tech from last year, a four-point loss where he threw two picks, was the best sample in regards to seeing him at his best and worst. Here's the second pick, which was the worst of the pair.
This was always going to be a tough throw, and the receiver does fade a bit too far to the boundary, but this just wasn't that great of a call by Ward. Preferably, he takes the scramble to his left, which he also did on his last dropback leading into this. Ward has certainly made strides in his decision-making as a passer, but he's got to understand that it isn't all or nothing on every play.
Progressions (9.25/10)
The fact I can pull a 2023 example of Cam Ward being good going through his progressions on a full field read is a great sign. Take a look at this touchdown throw from both angles in the 2023 Apple Cup vs. Washington.
All this is Ward going from left to right, but you can see him go through things very quickly. Even better is that he gets this single high safety in conflict, and he goes for this endzone shot based on that. He probably could've led this a tad more inside to make it easier on the WR, but he makes the right decision here. Here's another good multi-progression read from last year against Duke as well.
Pocket Awareness (8.5/10)
Ward deserves credit for improving his internal clock, but even in 2024, there were times when you would've wanted to see him realize his time is running out or already has. He tended to take some preventable sacks if his 2022-2023 film was any indication.
Anticipation/Touch (9/10)
The touch Ward can put on some of these passes is exceptional, especially downfield. The only thing I can mention here is that there were instances where he could've taken some velocity off to make it a bit easier on his receiver to get to their marks on time (it was mainly an issue on quick outs), but he's fully capable of fitting passes into tight windows when the occasion arises.
Out of Structure (9.25/10)
Plays are rarely over with Ward, for better or worse, but when I tell you the highs were so high with him, please believe me. If not, though, here are some of the highlights.
Although Ward would be wise to try not to put the ball in harm's way as much when things break down, as well as being more open to dumping the ball away a bit quicker in certain spots, he consistently demonstrated the ability to make plus plays when things break down. He's not a bad pocket passer by any stretch, either, in case you were wondering.
Mobility (8.75/10)
Ward does not possess super high-end speed, but he has more than enough mobility to move around in the pocket, scramble for positive yardage, and, as you just saw, get outside of the pocket to make throws on the run. Also, this was just a one-play thing, but if Ward would never do what he does at the end of this scramble again and just slide, that'd be tremendous.
Mechanics (3.25/5)
The biggest thing that brings this score down is Ward being a guy who'll fade a bit into throws/throw off the back foot, which was a recurring theme across three seasons' worth of film. On the flip side, his throwing mechanics/motion/release is superb and, more importantly, quick. Impressive, given some of the throws he was able to pull off. It's not the worst base to come into the league with by any stretch, and we saw someone like Drake Maye get his mechanics straightened up in short order; perhaps Ward can as well.
Player Summary
While Ward isn't the "generational prospect" that Titans President of Football Ops Chad Brinker alluded to not passing on, he's certainly my top quarterback option in this draft now, and you can't fault them for making the Hurricanes' signal caller their guy for Brian Callahan, assuming that is still the plan with the No. 1 overall selection next month. QB play has been abysmal for them the last few seasons, and Ward at least gives you hope for the future with his playmaking ability.
Especially given that he's a quarterbacks coach at heart, giving Callahan a player with some boom/bust potential but a ton of upside is precisely why he's in Nashville to begin with. Coach him up on consistent footwork, not going for the jugular on every downfield throw, and being a bit better with ball placement, and they may have a guy on their hands.
Rookie Projections: High-Upside Rookie Starting Quarterback
Third-Year Projection: Above-Average Starting Quarterback
Final Grade (87/100): Late-First Round Talent
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