What NFL Circles Are Saying About Cam Ward: Post Bowl Game
Last Saturday, Cam Ward made his final impression to NFL franchises in a Miami uniform in the increasingly wild Pop-Tarts Bowl against the Iowa State Cyclones.
Against the Big 12's top passing defense, Ward had his best stuff going early on, leading four straight touchdown drives to begin the game, along with resetting the all-time division-one passing touchdown record. A record that was set in 2011 by Case Keenum.
CAM WARD SETS THE D-I RECORD FOR MOST CAREER PASSING TDS‼️ pic.twitter.com/NHQsr7ujCd
— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2024
This record sparked plenty of controversy, however, as Ward sat out the final two quarters of the game when the score was 31-to-28 at half.
This led to a social media outcry, saying that Ward "quit" on his team and that he added questions of character and competitiveness to his pre-draft evaluation.
My response to Cam Ward pulling himself out at halftime:
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 30, 2024
“Cam, you stood on your teammates shoulders to break a record, but when they needed you to win the game, you were nowhere to be found.”
pic.twitter.com/6UuuLUniyA
Ward was 12-of-19 for 190 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, and, again, displayed a blue-chip arm and NFL talent against a formidable opponent. The on-field performance was undeniable, but the narrative after the Canes' loss was centered around how their quarterback was not there for his teammates when they had a chance to win.
The unfortunate truth is that this is another situation that shows the modern culture of non-playoff college football Bowl Season. Ward in one year at Miami, reset the single season record book, won double-digit games for the second time in more than 20 years and was the program's first Heisman Trophy finalist since 2002. Implying he quit or let this team down is a large reach given the context.
College football Bowl games have lost a lot of its luster going back to Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette starting the trend of NFL talents opting out of the non-playoff games back in 2016.
It leaves a sour taste in fan's mouths, but the context of this situation should not be held against Ward in his draft process. The speculation of Ward's motivation for playing being breaking Keenum's touchdown record is a generally emotional response trying to spark a narrative.
Mock drafts from the past week reflect that sentiment as well. Draft pundits still see Ward as a very realistic first quarterback taken this upcoming April. The draft order has been completely reworked since we last evaluated mock drafts, and there are multiple new potential suitors compared to a few weeks ago.
Josh Edwards (CBS Sports): 2nd (QB1)
Ian Valentino (The 33rd Team): 2nd (QB1)
Jake Rill (Bleacher Report): 3rd (QB2)
Christian D'Andrea (USA Today): 2nd (QB1)
Now instead of the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants selecting at the top, quarterback-needing teams picking first are the Tennessee Titans (second) and the Cleveland Browns (third) going into the final week of the NFL regular season.
Just days away from the final order being set, Ward's film compilation is complete for his illustrious collegiate career. The predraft process now awaits Ward, and with so many games played under his belt, it will be interesting to see what events he participates in over the next few months.
There will be no shortage of rumors and reports of how his interview process goes, especially after his decision to sit the second half of last Saturday's game. The fact remains that Ward's 2024 season looks to have all but locked him in to being selected at the top of this year's draft.
We will continue to have updates in the coming months following his draft process in the coming months as his destination in the NFL awaits.
