All Hurricanes

What NFL Circles Are Saying About Cam Ward: Week Six

A week-to-week update on the draft stock of the Canes's star QB.

Peyton Davis

Cam Ward (1) trots in to put the Canes within a score on Saturday night against Cal. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images
Cam Ward (1) trots in to put the Canes within a score on Saturday night against Cal. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images
In this story:

Above all things, Saturday night's game between the Miami Hurricanes and the California Golden Bears was an instant classic. It took a massive fourth quarter rally for the Canes to escape Berkley with a victory, and in the end, a masterful Cam Ward two-minute drill capped off with a five-yard touchdown catch from tight end Elijah Arroyo put Miami up 39-38 inside of 30-seconds to go.

Ward dazzled in the final quarter-and-a-half of this game, however, his team went down 35-10 before any of this ensued.

Things were going from bad to worse for Ward throughout the first half and change of this game. He was 13-for-24 with 134 yards and an interception when Cal took their largest lead with 8:06 left in the third quarter. It seemed Ward was going to take major hits to both his Heisman odds and draft stock, on top of the team as a whole taking a big hit to their ranking.

From that point on, Ward displayed the level of poise that he has become known for, showing that with him behind center - there is always a chance.

The senior quarterback finished the day 35-for-53, 437 yards and two touchdowns, adding an additional one on the ground. It has taken incredible efforts by the Canes to pull out wins in the first two weeks of conference play, and Ward has shown that he can elevate himself in the most dire moments after playing almost exclusively with large leads the first four games.

There is certainly cause for concern from Ward's first two conference game. His efficiency numbers have taken a massive dip in the past eight quarters, completing just 64% of his passes, with four turnovers and six sacks taken.

The comebacks he's had to pull off have been as a result of the situations that he has put his team in with his recklessness. The 'nonchalant' style to his game that made him go viral the first month of the season has put his team in large holes during two games that the Canes were double-digit favorites in.

This hasn't hindered his status as a presumed top 10 pick, but the majority opinion is that he hasn't elevated himself to the top of the quarterback class just yet.

Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): 6th (QB2)

Jamie Eisner (TheDraftNetwork): 7th (QB2)

Ian Valentino (The 33rd Team): 10th (QB3)

Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports): 6th (QB2)

The comeback performance did elevate Ward back to the top quarterback in Heisman odds, however, still third overall at this point of the season.

If Cam and the Canes want to win an ACC title and secure a bye in the playoffs, Ward will have to find a way to stay efficient early in games. This will be the thing that interests NFL circles the most.

His talent is undeniable, and he's seemingly played himself into a consensus top-ten selection, but the team will not get to where they want to go if they keep starting off slow.

Miami has a bye to regroup and prepare for their toughest test yet, traveling to Louisville, Kentucky to take on the Cardinals in an early afternoon matchup next week. There will surely be a large scouting attendance at this game, so Ward will have an opportunity to calm concerns over his reckless style.

Published
Peyton Davis
PEYTON DAVIS

Home/Football