What Titans Are Getting in Cam Ward

No matter how many of the most experienced NFL insiders told the world to expect the Tennessee Titans to entertain but ultimately cast aside all trade offers for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, gleefully snatching up quarterback Cam Ward thereafter, you never can be too sure, right? Well, the aforementioned insiders lived up to their reputations after all. The former Incarnate Word Cardinal, Washington State Cougar, and Miami Hurricane was the first name pulled off the board.

To get down to brass tacks first before digging into the finer details, some important data regarding Ward last season among all FBS action...



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The 6-foot-2 passer led college football in passing touchdowns (39) among FBS programs. He finished second in passing yards (4,313). Ward finished second in outings with over 300 yards passing last year (10).

Additionally, with Ward leading the Miami offense in 2024, the following data is worth considering...

. Miami finished first in total offense (537.2 yards/game among FBS), and in scoring offense (43.

9 points/game), The Hurricanes finished third in passing offense (348.2 yards/game, 41 TD) as well as third-down conversions (56.3%).

To summarize his unique college background, Ward was unranked nationally as a 2020 recruit out of Texas, landing in Incarnate Word where he spent his underclassmen years, transferring to Washington State ahead of his junior year in 2022, then transferring to Miami where he led the Hurricanes through the 2024 season, his fifth years as a starter, made possible by the COVID year back when he was a rookie at the college level. Ward threw for nearly 7,000 yards as an underclassman, nearly 8,000 yards over 2022 and 2023, then - as cited above - he tossed more touchdown passes than any quarterback in FBS, and recorded more passing yards than every quarterback not named Kyle McCord last year as a Hurricane. It's not an uncanny likeness, but Ward draws comparisons to Jalen Hurts in terms of style of play, body type, and there's crossover in tendencies and movement.

Ward is a gunslinger, to be sure. While the common criticism revolves around taking dangerous shots too often, a tendency steeped in a confidence in his arm, his receivers, and the assertiveness within him as a passer, Ward won't likely generate a concerning number of game-changing turnovers. Additionally, while Ward may bet on his arm too often than some are comfortable with as it relates to difficult throws, he absolutely does show the arm talent and overall blend of accuracy and consistency to often turn those gambles into big-chunk plays and momentum shifting plays.

Ward isn't an ultra-twitchy, slippery scrambler, and he isn't necessarily a dangerous rusher. However he doesn't lack ability in the former or the latter. Additionally, anyone who has spent time watching Ward's full game films will agree that he's incredibly calm, cool, and collected in the pocket at all times.

In turn, he shows a natural feel for pass rush - the type that can't be taught - where he maintains his eyes down the field, working through his reads, and making efficient decisions. Cool as a cucumber in the pocket, Ward has point guard-like qualities as a distributor of the football, simply taking what the defense gives him both through the air and on the ground. On the other hand, while maintaining that calm demeanor, the gunslinger in Ward shows itself at times, and that element of his game should create both his most dynamic plays and his most substantial rookie mistakes in 2025, assuming he earns the starting job out of the gate.

This isn't one of the top few quarterback classes over the last handful of NFL Drafts. But putting that aside, while some argue Cam Ward is a reach at No. 1, don't be surprised if he proves that group wrong in Tennessee.

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