• Ward brings plenty of experience: He played his first two college seasons at Incarnate Word, followed by two seasons at Washington State before joining Miami.

• Arm strength is Ward’s biggest positive: He’s able to produce an incredible amount of velocity in each throw, allowing him to fit the ball into tight windows.

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2024 PFF Grades and Stats (rank out of 56 draft-eligible QBs)

Background

Cam Ward is a 22-year-old, 6-foot-2 and 223-pound quarterback out of Miami. Before joining the Hurricanes, Ward played his first two college seasons at Incarnate Word, followed by two seasons at Washington State. In 2024, Ward led the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Strengths

Arm strength and velocity

Cam Ward possesses one of the best arms in football. He’s able to produce an incredible amount of velocity in each throw. Arm strength isn’t all about how far you can throw the ball downfield; the velocity with which you throw is arguably more important. Ward has that velocity. It allows him to fit the ball into tight windows, and even if he’s not throwing with perfect anticipation, his arm strength makes up for it.

Playmaking ability

Since his days at Incarnate Word, Ward has been a playmaking quarterback when things break down. When Ward had 3 or more seconds to throw, his passing grade ranked seventh in the FBS and he made the second-most big-time throws. While he had the fifth-most dropbacks with a time to throw over 3 seconds, he took only 13 sacks on those plays. The NFL continues to move toward this style of quarterback who is constantly able to create when the play breaks down, and Ward fits that mold.

Anticipation throws over the middle of the field

Ward has an elite ability to operate over the middle of the field. He earned a 95.1 PFF passing grade on throws in between the NFL numbers in 2024, the highest in the entire FBS. You have to play with a high level of anticipation to operate over the middle of the field where the windows close quickly. Ward has shown time and time again that he has the mental ability to work through progressions and get to those throws. He quickly understands the looks defenses are giving him and plays on time, which led to him having the highest clean pocket PFF grade among draft-eligible quarterbacks. 

Weaknesses

Unnecessary pocket drifting

Ward tends to drift in the pocket. At times, he can drift toward the side of the field he begins to look at, inviting pressure and putting his offensive lineman under unnecessary stress. It can also cause him to completely shut down one side of the field because when he drifts away from that side, it takes away his ability to throw to it. It can cause Ward to miss open receivers or miss his window to hit his check-down when nothing else is open. Sometimes, a slight drift in the pocket can work out for a quarterback if they understand where their protection might be weak, but far too often Ward drifted in the pocket unnecessarily.

Occasional lack of urgency

Ward is a very calm passer in the pocket, and while that can be a good thing, he is sometimes almost too calm. Understanding when to play with a sense of urgency is crucial for a quarterback. There are too many examples of him looking somewhat nonchalant in the pocket and holding the ball too low in his stance, which throws off his timing. The passing game is all about timing, and if it’s even slightly off, it can cause a play to fail. Ward will have to learn to find that balance of when being calm can help him and when it can hurt him.

Summary

Cam Ward’s abundant experience as a starting quarterback is invaluable. He possesses the physical traits to be an NFL quarterback, but most importantly, he also has flashed the mental ability. He’s not just a playmaking quarterback who relies on playing out of structure; he can thrive within the pocket, playing on time. He’ll need to clean up some of the finer details of managing an NFL pocket, but his ability to avoid sacks and make plays both in and out of structure can lead to him being an NFL team’s franchise quarterback.

Draft Grade: Mid-to-late first round, but top 10 due to the value of the quarterback position