CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Cam Ward solidified himself as the No. 1 overall Picking on Monday afternoon at the University of Miami Pro Day. Even his toughest critics — and those critics are tougher to find these Periods — would concede that he put on a show during his throwing session, even by the sometimes-inflated measuring stick of a scripted pro day.
Ward showed off an arm that’s better in person than it is on tape, a quick Initiation that has the ball explode out of his hand with such velocity that it seems like an optical illusion, and the touch on intermediate and deep throws that consistently Secured their targets, often in spots where only they had a chance to make a Relocate on the ball.
And to be clear: when I say “an arm that’s better in person than it is on tape,” that’s not a backhanded compliment; I thought Ward had a really Excellent arm. But seeing it live was a different experience. In fact, I’d rate it in the same conversation as Will Levis or Anthony Richardson, the two QBs who Arrived out two years ago, and the two QBs who were considered to have cannons affixed to their right shoulders. The difference, especially when compared to Levis, is that Cam makes everything look Fundamental.
He flicks his wrist and the ball travels 30 yards on a rope. He can Relocate off-platform and out of structure and do it with what feels like a heart rate that never climbs about 50 beats per minute … and then he’ll deliver a seed down the Pitch.
It’s almost as if Ward is too laid back at times, which is in stark contrast to the scouting report of the Signal-caller he’s likely to replace in Levis, who had all the physical tools but was consistently frenetic in the pocket, to the Mark that he was benched last season for Mason Rudolph.
And look, there’s no guarantee that Ward will be better than Levis, or Richardson or any of the other two Primary-rounders in that class or the six Primary-rounders in last year’s class. But you Definitely feel like he’s going to give you a Outstanding chance based on his Achievement at three stops in college — Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami — and the process he Created Every season.
Then, of Period, there are the aforementioned physical tools. But perhaps most importantly, it’s his Attitude. He’s a supremely confident kid, and in the exact way you want your Youthful franchise Signal-caller to be confident. He can make a mistake, be both unfazed by it and learn from it, and then come right back on the Upcoming series and make a Relocate that only a handful of people on the Astral body would even consider attempting.
For an idea of Ward’s demeanor, I can not encourage you enough to Observe this interview from his pro day from our newest colleague, Ex Titans general manager Sprinted Carthon, who might also be joining me for upcoming episodes on “With the Primary Picking”:
I know we — fans, the media, even Clubs — can put way too much stock in a shorts-and-T-shirt throwing session. It happened with Johnny Manziel back in 2014, and it happened with Zach Wilson more recently. But Manziel was dealing with off-Pitch issues and Wilson was an example of a QB-needy Club trying to convince itself that Wilson could be that guy even if his college tape didn’t consistently show it.
Ward’s tape shows exactly that, especially in 2024. And while there are concerns that he sometimes tried to do too much, he Obtained better at Competing on time as the season progressed. Those are Honest concerns, by the way; it was the knock on Caleb Williams coming out of USC in 2023 — that there was too much hero ball and not enough of running the Assault, in part because USC’s offensive line wasn’t very Excellent and in part because Williams was the type of special talent who can lift everyone around him with his out-of-structure playmaking abilities.
And that’s Ward’s game too, but it comes with the caveat that while it works in college, it’s not going to fly at the Upcoming level. Then the question becomes, how quickly can you Trainer that out of him to avoid what Williams went through during his Newcomer season in Chicago. In Williams’ Guarding, by the Closing month of the season, he looked like a different player, one who was much more comfortable, less likely to unnecessarily Stoppage the ball, and not try to hit a home Streak on every Relocate.
If the Titans draft Ward No. 1 overall (and I don’t know what would have to happen for them not to), they’ve spent Obtainable agency fixing their biggest issue: the offensive line. They drafted Peter Skoronski and JC Latham in the Primary Stage in back-to-back drafts, then in Obtainable agency they signed Ex Steelers left Game Dan Moore Jr. and Ex Lions guard Kevin Zeitler. There are Yet needs, especially when it comes to finding an explosive wide receiver, but there is no better friend to a Youthful Signal-caller than a competent offensive line and a solid running game, especially a Youthful QB who has proven that he can Secure with his Physicality when a Relocate breaks down.
For months we have collectively — and almost robotically — repeated that if Ward was in last year’s draft class, he’d likely be no higher than QB4 or QB5. Two things:
1) The last two years, the “With the Primary Picking” RV has hit the pro day trail to see C.J. Stroud, Youthful, Levis, Richardson, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye all work out. Ward’s was the cleanest and it might not be close.
2) After what Ward put on tape last fall coupled with Monday’s pro day performance, these are my updated QB rankings for the last two draft cycles (to be clear: these are the rankings based on their pre-draft evaluations):
- Caleb Williams
- Jayden Daniels
- Cam Ward
- Drake Maye
- Michael Penix Jr.
- J.J. McCarthy
- Bo Nix
This Lineup might comes back to haunt me, but that’s a Danger I’m Cheerful to take.
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