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‘He’ll get overdrafted’ – Cam Ward is lucky he’s not in same NFL class as Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams
Cam Ward could be a month away from becoming the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. But with the big hope also comes serious scrutiny, and the playing style of the former Miami quarterback is being picked apart as the first round approaches. GettyCam Ward could be the top pick in the NFL Draft but he already has serious doubters[/caption] “Where my concerns are with him, there is a significant lack of discipline to his game,” NFL Draft expert Simon Clancy exclusively told talkSPORT. “He plays with almost a sort of sense of recklessness at times. He puts the ball up for grabs. He throws some sort of funky arm angles, which he doesn’t necessarily need to do.” The draft analyst also praised Ward’s NFL ceiling, highlighting how a “zero-star prospect” bounced from Incarnate Word and Washington State to potentially becoming the No. 1 choice for the Tennessee Titans on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. “He’s got really good upside and there’s a kind of an alpha mentality to him,” Clancy said. “I do have some concerns about some of the technical issues that haven’t been ironed out in five seasons of college football. “This quarterback class is not a very good one, and supply and demand means he’ll get overdrafted. “He could easily go number one for Tennessee. But that would make me personally feel quite uncomfortable if I were a Tennessee fan.” For all the noise surrounding the 6ft 2in and 219lb Ward, there’s also serious buzz. He tops a recent ESPN mock draft and has the talent to be a Week 1 starter in 2025. Despite not throwing at the combine — Ward said five years of game tape was enough proof of his arm expertise — the ex-Hurricane exited Indianapolis as the expected top QB in the draft. GettyWard stood up for himself during the recent combine[/caption] GettyHe has a strong arm and the athleticism to create plays in the pocket[/caption] GettyWard was a ‘zero star’ recruit and attended three colleges on the way to the NFL[/caption] Wars also pushed back against the criticism that he’s received for his style of play. “That’s something someone said who really doesn’t know football that much,” he said. “End of the day, you got time in the pocket, why would you not hold onto the ball to let your receivers get open? “If you’re able to make plays out of structure, you’re going to hold onto the ball to try to make a play and get your receivers open.” The flip side of that comment is that NFL defenses are much tougher and far more talented than college defenses, which 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams learned last year in Chicago. There’s also been a theory for months that if Ward was in last year’s draft, he would have been the seventh QB taken. Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix all had more hype than Ward — and more NFL certainty. “He can gun the ball into tight windows,” Clancy said. “He’s played almost exclusively out of the shotgun through three different collegiate stops, especially in Miami, in this kind of spread offense. But he did create his own chances. “He created outstanding second opportunity throws, where the first two windows were shut, he was able to move the platform and make a free throw. “But he drifts a lot off the midline — that kind of center line where you take the snap. And he does so unnecessarily, so he creates sack problems for himself.” Ward completed 67.2 percent of his passes last season for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns. The Texas native led Miami to a 10-3 record while finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. Despite his risky No. 1 status, Ward tops Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders in mock after mock. He’s also used to proving doubters wrong, and has been surpassing external expectations for years. “I’m not worried about no spotlight,” Ward said. “One time in my life I wasn’t in the spotlight. It’s crazy to see how everything can change.” The New York Giants, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns could all trade up to take Ward at No. 1. It just takes one team to believe in him, and the talented Miami star already believes in himself. Stay up to date with the latest from across the NFL via our talkSPORT Facebook page, and subscribe to our Endzone YouTube channel for news, views and exclusive interviews as we build up to the NFL Draft.
Cam Ward could be a month away from becoming the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
But with the big hope also comes serious scrutiny, and the playing style of the former Miami quarterback is being picked apart as the first round approaches.
“Where my concerns are with him, there is a significant lack of discipline to his game,” NFL Draft expert Simon Clancy exclusively told talkSPORT.
“He plays with almost a sort of sense of recklessness at times. He puts the ball up for grabs. He throws some sort of funky arm angles, which he doesn’t necessarily need to do.”
The draft analyst also praised Ward’s NFL ceiling, highlighting how a “zero-star prospect” bounced from Incarnate Word and Washington State to potentially becoming the No. 1 choice for the Tennessee Titans on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
“He’s got really good upside and there’s a kind of an alpha mentality to him,” Clancy said.
“I do have some concerns about some of the technical issues that haven’t been ironed out in five seasons of college football.
“This quarterback class is not a very good one, and supply and demand means he’ll get overdrafted.
“He could easily go number one for Tennessee. But that would make me personally feel quite uncomfortable if I were a Tennessee fan.”
For all the noise surrounding the 6ft 2in and 219lb Ward, there’s also serious buzz.
He tops a recent ESPN mock draft and has the talent to be a Week 1 starter in 2025.
Despite not throwing at the combine — Ward said five years of game tape was enough proof of his arm expertise — the ex-Hurricane exited Indianapolis as the expected top QB in the draft.
Wars also pushed back against the criticism that he’s received for his style of play.
“That’s something someone said who really doesn’t know football that much,” he said.
“End of the day, you got time in the pocket, why would you not hold onto the ball to let your receivers get open?
“If you’re able to make plays out of structure, you’re going to hold onto the ball to try to make a play and get your receivers open.”
The flip side of that comment is that NFL defenses are much tougher and far more talented than college defenses, which 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams learned last year in Chicago.
There’s also been a theory for months that if Ward was in last year’s draft, he would have been the seventh QB taken.
Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix all had more hype than Ward — and more NFL certainty.
“He can gun the ball into tight windows,” Clancy said.
“He’s played almost exclusively out of the shotgun through three different collegiate stops, especially in Miami, in this kind of spread offense. But he did create his own chances.
“He created outstanding second opportunity throws, where the first two windows were shut, he was able to move the platform and make a free throw.
“But he drifts a lot off the midline — that kind of center line where you take the snap. And he does so unnecessarily, so he creates sack problems for himself.”
Ward completed 67.2 percent of his passes last season for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns.
The Texas native led Miami to a 10-3 record while finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Despite his risky No. 1 status, Ward tops Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders in mock after mock.
He’s also used to proving doubters wrong, and has been surpassing external expectations for years.
“I’m not worried about no spotlight,” Ward said.
“One time in my life I wasn’t in the spotlight. It’s crazy to see how everything can change.”
The New York Giants, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns could all trade up to take Ward at No. 1.
It just takes one team to believe in him, and the talented Miami star already believes in himself.
Stay up to date with the latest from across the NFL via our talkSPORT Facebook page, and subscribe to our Endzone YouTube channel for news, views and exclusive interviews as we build up to the NFL Draft.
