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Welcome to Coach Knows Ball, an NFL Draft series analyzing the top prospects in the 2025 class. I'm a college football coach with 10 years of NCAA experience and have been scouting NFL Draft prospects for over 15 years. This series will give a deep dive into the film of some of the top players in this draft class, with detailed insight into future NFL standouts' strengths, weaknesses, and projections.
Scouting NFL Draft prospects is about projecting translatable traits. There is often overlap between translatable traits and college performance, but there's a reason many top college players are not considered legitimate professionals. For example, a wide receiver being able to get in and out of breaks efficiently will not change from college to pro. Conversely, an edge-rusher who got most of his sacks due to hustle or missed offensive line assignments may not have shown translatable traits on film.
The film clips in this series show each pro prospect's positive and negative traits. Reading this article will give you a more in-depth look into each player with actual in-game visual evidence. We will continue our 2025 series with Miami QB Cam Ward.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
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- Tight end fantasy football rankings
Cam Ward Rookie Profile
Cam Ward is a 22-year-old quarterback prospect with five years of college experience at three schools. Ward was one of the best freshmen in the FCS at Incarnate Word, transferred to Washington State to start for two years, then finished his collegiate career at Miami, where he improved his draft stock dramatically. In 2024 at Miami, Ward threw for 37 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, leading the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record.
Calm, Cool, and Creative
Ward is built like an NFL QB, with average height and a large, sturdy frame. His functional strength shines on film as a runner, escape artist, and passer. Ward has a very strong arm, and should have no issue making every NFL throw.
Two words describe Ward's arm talent. One is effortless, as he can sling ropes from any platform. The other is disrespectful, as he will use nonchalant body language and mechanics to dice up the defense.
Ward is not the fastest runner, but he's slippery and dismissive on the move. In the clip below, he flashes impressive arm talent. Rolling left, he fires a rope to the corner of the end zone.
Scouting NFL prospects is about translating traits to the next level, not grading college performance. In the clip below, Ward's drop is curved and his footwork is messy. However, the pure arm talent and touch is the type of skill that top NFL QBs possess. Ward places this ball perfectly over the outside shoulder of the tight end. His best reps make him look like a first overall pick in terms of ability to deliver all types of accurate passes with touch or speed.
Ward throws a very catchable ball, which is more important than just having a big arm.
In the clip below, Ward escapes a free rusher, climbs the pocket with both hands on the ball, and places a dot upfield on the cross-runner. This is an exciting rep from a guy who was able to physically outclass his competition in both the FCS and FBS.
In the clip below, Ward is balanced in his drop after the token fake and shows off a beautiful touch on a perfectly passed ball. The receiver is working against press man coverage, so this placement is crucial.
Ward mastered quick-game concepts in Miami's offense. He was consistently on time and accurate when throwing slants, glances, outs, and flats. The clip below is an example of a rifle on a slant. Look how fast the ball gets there.
One of the most encouraging trends in Jayden Daniels' film last year was his ability to go through progressions and get to his second and third reads. Ward flashes that ability as well.
In the clip below, Ward decides not to work his field routes and instead comes back to the boundary dig from the outside receiver. It's a three-step drop with calm feet and a progression that is on time, ending with an accurate rip over the middle.
In the clip below, Miami is running a high red-zone sail concept with a post from the boundary outside receiver. Ward starts with his eyes on the field, moves the safety, and hits his post off a three-step drop with a hitch. It's on time and in rhythm.
Another impressive aspect of Ward's game is how his Miami coaches gave him the freedom to check protections and route concepts at the line of scrimmage. Against Virginia Tech, Ward made checks before the snap on several plays, including a few on the game-winning drive.
The clip below shows the biggest play of that game. Ward's play strength and creativity shine.
Ward can make creative plays like that and throw from any arm slot and any platform. He's shown throws rolling left, rolling right, flat-footed, fading away, submarine, and through pressure. While it is important to be critical when scouting prospects, NFL teams are more interested in what a player can do than what they can't. Simply put, Ward can get the ball to his receivers in all types of ways.
Carelessness with the Football
Ward has reps of poor placement, but he is a generally on-time and accurate passer. With arm slots, footwork, and mechanics all over the place, Ward has room to improve his placement.
If he doesn't, he'll settle in as a quarterback with a below-average completion percentage. His gift is his curse in that the inconsistent mechanics help him make awesome creative throws but can also lead to some misses.
In the clip below, Ward tries to look off the safety and fire a missile at his seam runner. He hops in his drop and his weight transfer is all jacked up. It leads to a high miss.
In most cases, Ward's fadeaways and wild throws lead to jaw-dropping highlights. It takes guts to even attempt some of the stuff he completes in every game. However, it's fair to wonder if those types of plays will be less viable in the pros.
Ward completes an inordinate amount of cross-field across-body throws that are generally a huge no-no for offensive coaches. Against NFL defenders, they rarely work.
In the clip below, Ward makes a ridiculous decision to throw across his body rolling left. It shows a positive trait that his body can physically throw it that well, but it's also a bad decision that turns into a disaster.
The clip below is more of the same. It's a one-possession game in the fourth quarter and Ward is trying to make a play on third down. There's just no reason to throw a ball up like that in the middle of the field.
The clip above also shows some poor dropback tendencies. Ward drifts to his left for no reason while going through progressions. Will an NFL team correct his sloppy mechanics or take the good with the bad and let him play some backyard football? And if so, will it work? Ward is a fascinating player with a wide range of outcomes.
Georgia Tech handed Miami its first loss of the season, and Ward did not play particularly well. He had some trouble against a blitz-heavy man-coverage attack, as his receivers were not as wide open as usual and pressure was in his face more frequently.
Ward will see more exotic pressures and a ton of man or match coverage at the next level. He'll have to adjust from the friendly confines of an ACC offense to facing off against NFL defenses. That transition may take time and the coaching and supporting cast around him will be absolutely crucial to his development.
In the clip below, Ward is careless with the football. He doesn't have the largest hands in the world and has a bad habit of holding the ball with one hand even when danger is near. Turning his back to the defense and trying to spin around while holding the ball with one hand is a recipe for disaster.
It's worth noting that Ward had a second lost fumble late in the fourth quarter that cost Miami the game. His ball security habits must be improved or he is going to be a fumble machine as a pro.
NFL Player Outlook
Cam Ward has a tantalizing skill set and his pure arm talent is that of a No. 1 overall pick. His interesting college path speaks to his ability to prove people wrong as a confident and creative player.
Ward's film is filled with amazing highlights but some rough misses and carelessness with the ball. While there is undeniable risk in taking him high, I expect a team to draft him in the top five and would not be surprised if he developed into a star player.
If you want to read and watch some of my past film breakdowns, click the links below.
- Brock Bowers - TE, Georgia
- Jayden Daniels - QB, LSU
- Bijan Robinson - RB, Texas
- Jahmyr Gibbs - RB, Alabama
- Ja'Marr Chase - WR, LSU
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more draft content in the coming days.
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