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Cam Ward was virtually an unknown coming out of high school, but on Thursday, day one of the NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans bypassed all other available prospects to select him first overall.
Ward joins elite company becoming the first Miami Hurricane selected first overall since defensive tackle Russell Maryland in 1991, and is the first Hurricane quarterback picked first overall since Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde was chosen in 1987.
Maryland played ten seasons, won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, and was a one-time Pro Bowl selection in 1993.
Testaverde played 20 seasons and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
Ward, who has always played with a chip on his shoulder, is looking to exceed expectations.
In Ward’s junior year at West Columbia High School, located 57 miles southwest of Houston, they ran the ball three times as often as it passed. Ward’s 2019 senior season, Columbia High, ran four times as often as it passed running a Wing-T offense.
His recruitment suffered as a result.
“There was about four or five Division I coaches that came to West Columbia to see him throw,” Ward’s father, Calvin, told Yahoo Sports. “But they were like …’We like him, but it’s not matching the tape.’
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“You knew he could play. But would somebody give him a chance?”
Incarnate Word, a San Antonio-based institution, would give Ward that chance. Over two seasons, Ward passed for 6,908 yards and 71 touchdowns.
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Ward started two seasons at IWU, two at Washington State, and then one Heisman finalist-worthy finale at Miami en route to the NFL Draft stage.
Despite completing 64.1 percent of his passes, throwing for nearly 14,000 yards, 119 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions in four seasons, Ward decided to withdraw his name from the 2024 draft to secure himself as a day-one selection.
At Miami, Ward completed 67.2 percent of his passes and threw for an FBS-best 39 touchdowns to seven interceptions after seasons at WSU, throwing for 23 and 25 touchdowns.
His 4,313 passing yards trailed only Syracuse’s Kyle McCord. Ward became the first Miami player to win ACC Player of the Year, was also named Offensive Player of the Year, and took home the 2024 Manning and Davey O’Brien Awards, given to the best quarterback in the country. The Texas native was a 2024 Heisman finalist, becoming the first from Miami since 2002.
Ward also secured his name in the history books this season by setting a new Division I record for passing touchdowns. The quarterback broke the passing record in the Pop-Tart Bowl, throwing to Jacolby George in the first half to earn his 156th career TD and pass former Houston quarterback Case Keenum.
At Miami, Ward set single-season school records for passing yards (4,313) and touchdowns (39), while leading the Hurricanes to its first ten-win season since 2017.
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Ward credited Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal for improving his pocket comfort, understanding of protections, and decision-making on his pro day.
“I would say they developed me the most in protections and pocket movement with Coach Dawson. Coach Mirabal is one of the best O-Line coaches out there, who’s helped me a lot. Coach Dawson, just him making me really stay in the pocket. Not getting out as much as I need to when I don’t need to, and I just think the teammates I had around me took it over the edge. The receiving corps I had, the O-line giving up only 20 sacks this year. I just had a good group of guys around me, facility. They got a great support staff here at Miami. It’s a good building, and I expect them to win in the long run.”
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NFL executives and those close to Ward believe the constant adaptation he’s already navigated will help his NFL path. Maschek, the coach who stuck to the Wing-T with Ward on the field, believes his zero-star quarterback is still better off for it.
“A lot of times you see these five-star recruits, they get everything early on,” Maschek told Yahoo Sports. “It put a little chip on Cam’s shoulder, and it made him what he is today.”
Ward’s personality
Ward is known for his confident and charismatic personality and has often been described as an alpha in the locker room. He possesses a calm demeanor in interviews, but on the field, he is a strong leader and a fierce competitor.
He has a natural swagger and a strong understanding of people and situations. He connects with teammates and seems to manage his relationships effectively.
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Scouting Report from Pro Football Focus
Strengths
Arm strength and velocity
Ward possesses one of the best arms in football. He’s able to produce an incredible amount of velocity in each throw. Arm strength isn’t all about how far you can throw the ball downfield; the velocity with which you throw is arguably more important. Ward has that velocity. It allows him to fit the ball into tight windows, and even if he’s not throwing with perfect anticipation, his arm strength makes up for it.
Playmaking ability
Since his days at Incarnate Word, Ward has been a playmaking quarterback when things break down. When Ward had three or more seconds to throw, his passing grade ranked seventh in the FBS, and he made the second-most big-time throws. While he had the fifth-most dropbacks with a time to throw over 3 seconds, he took only 13 sacks on those plays. The NFL continues to move toward this style of quarterback who is constantly able to create when the play breaks down, and Ward fits that mold.
Anticipation throws over the middle of the field
Ward has an elite ability to operate over the middle of the field. He earned a 95.1 PFF passing grade on throws in between the NFL numbers in 2024, the highest in the entire FBS. You must play with a high level of anticipation to operate over the middle of the field, where windows close quickly. Ward has consistently demonstrated that he possesses the mental ability to work through progressions and execute those throws. He quickly understands the looks defenses are giving him and plays on time, which led to him having the highest clean pocket PFF grade among draft-eligible quarterbacks.
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Weaknesses
Unnecessary pocket drifting
Ward tends to drift in the pocket. At times, he can drift toward the side of the field he begins to look at, inviting pressure and putting his offensive lineman under unnecessary stress. It can also cause him to completely shut down one side of the field because when he drifts away from that side, it takes away his ability to throw to it. It can cause Ward to miss open receivers or fail to hit his check-down when nothing else is open. Sometimes, a slight drift in the pocket can work out for a quarterback if they understand where their protection might be weak, but far too often, Ward drifted in the pocket unnecessarily.
Occasional lack of urgency
Ward is a very calm passer in the pocket, and while that can be a good thing, he is sometimes almost too calm. Understanding when to play with a sense of urgency is crucial for a quarterback. There are numerous examples of him looking somewhat nonchalant in the pocket and holding the ball too low in his stance, which disrupts his timing. The passing game is all about timing, and if it’s even slightly off, it can cause a play to fail. Ward will have to learn to find that balance of when being calm can help him and when it can hurt him.
Summary
Cam Ward’s abundant experience as a starting quarterback is invaluable. He possesses the physical traits to be an NFL quarterback, but most importantly, he also has flashed the mental ability. He’s not just a playmaking quarterback who relies on playing out of structure; he can thrive within the pocket, playing on time. He’ll need to clean up some of the finer details of managing an NFL pocket, but his ability to avoid sacks and make plays both in and out of structure can lead to him being an NFL team’s franchise quarterback.
Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Focus and Miami Athletics contributed to this report
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