What NFL Circles Are Saying About Cam Ward: Week Seven
Coming off a bye week, there isn't any new film to be evaluated or trends to be examined in Ward's game, but there has been some dialogue about his future from different outlets in the past week that gives some more sense of the way scouts see Ward at this point.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal appeared on "This is Football" with ESPN's Kevin Clark, Tuesday afternoon and gave some insight to what he's told league executives about his star quarterback.
I asked Mario Cristobal what he'll tell NFL teams when they call about Cam Ward.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) October 15, 2024
"His mindset is that of a linebacker who is trying to kick your ass on every single play. He's an alpha dog."
Mario on NFL guys he recruited & Saban. Plus @JustinPugh. THIS IS FOOTBALL 2:30 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/8RtVN46vAV
Cristobal uniquely compares Ward's mentality to a linebacker, definitely a line that sticks in the head of executives. His uniqueness may actually be the quarterback's most descriptive trait. His career arc to his on-field game in general all fit that description and makes him a compelling evaluation at the NFL level.
The narrative around the Heisman-hopeful quarterback is far from all positive. On Monday, Jordan Reid of ESPN quoted an "AFC area scout" about the league's current feeling of Ward.
"He has times where he has to scratch his itch for reckless plays, and it leaves you asking, 'What the heck was he thinking there?'" the scout said. "I like him and don't know if that can be coached out of him."
Ward's recklessness and desire to hit big plays is a very real criticism that I've documented week after week on this platform, but that also adds to his intrigue as a player. It's easy to reference the pre-draft evaluations of a Patrick Mahomes or Brett Favre as they were also tagged with a similar issues. To a degree, what works in the modern NFL at quarterback are ones with un-coachable talent paired with really good offensive coaches and play callers.
Ward's talent is unquestioned at this point, the situation he is drafted into could define the trajectory of his career early on - as has been the case for so many young players the last few years.
This week's batch of mock drafts did not see much change to where Ward is projected to land; however, he is trending more towards being the draft's top quarterback than in recent weeks.
Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): 4th (QB1)
Kyle Crabbs (The 33rd Team): 4th (QB1)
Mike Renner (CBS Sports): 2nd (QB1)
Off a bye, pundits see Ward as majority QB1 seven weeks into the season - a shift from last week. Seemingly unwarranted considering the tone from scouts and the alarms from last week's first half, but it is more of a testament to the fact that there still is not a clear cut guy at the top of the draft.
The Canes will be in Louisville, Kentucky for a noon EST game this Saturday for what is squaring up to be their toughest game to date. After being favored by double-digits in their first two conference games, oddsmakers only favor sixth-ranked Miami by less than a touchdown this Saturday.
It will take a much cleaner game from Ward than he's played the last two weeks for Miami to stay undefeated and at the top of the ACC.
