The coronation of Cam Ward became official Thursday night when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced what had become a foregone conclusion – the Tennessee Titans selecting Ward with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ward strode to the stage in Green Bay, Wisconsin wearing a head-to-toe Hugo Boss outfit and donned a Titans hat. It was the end of a sinuous journey for the former University of Miami (Fla.) quarterback who was a zero-star recruit with two collegiate offers and played at FCS Incarnate Word and Washington State before landing with the Hurricanes.
For Miami, Ward threw 39 touchdowns (7 interceptions) in 13 games, which led all of Division I. He was named the Atlantic Coastal Conference Player of the Year, a consensus All-American and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Ward set a new Hurricanes single-season mark record for passing yards (4,313) in a season and passed Case Keenum’s record for career passing touchdowns in Division I (158).
In a draft class weaker compared to most cycles, Ward stood out as the clear top option at quarterback. And the Titans entered the offseason in need of a franchise signal-caller. Tennessee, with first-year general manager Mike Borgonzi – formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs – and second-year head coach Brian Callahan (who helped develop another No. 1 pick at quarterback, Joe Burrow, as the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator), appeared to settle on Ward months ago. The Titans declined to sign a veteran starter and bolstered other parts of the roster, while also signaling that they have little faith in Will Levis – a second-round pick in 2023 – as the long-term answer behind center.
Other teams, such as the New York Giants, according to ESPN, tried to trade with the Titans for the top spot in the pecking order. Tennessee rebuffed all efforts.
‘I got a chance to learn more about (the Titans) personally over the last couple of months, and I am excited to hopefully hear my name called first, to go to a good organization like that,’ Ward said at an NFLPlay60 event on Wednesday in Green Bay, per the Titans’ team website. ‘They have a great owner, a great GM, great assistant GM, great president. The team there, they have a pretty elite team, in my opinion – they don’t get enough credit on paper for what they really are. So, if I am there, I know it will turn out good.’
At 6-foot-2, Ward has the ability to make big plays with his arm and can extend dropbacks with his feet and mobility. The improvisation can put him in a bind at times. But the expectation is that the proper coaching will accentuate his strengths and eliminate bad habits.
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The West Columbia, Texas native ran the “Wing-T” offense during high school, which helped set the foundation for his elusiveness.
“One of the things I love most about him (is) his ability to pull through tackles. Like, you get guys that will get free runs at him, and he’s able to just kind of shrug them off and pull through tackles,” NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “For a guy that’s not 6’5′, 240 pounds, he’s really, really strong.”
His quick arm makes him an ideal fit in schemes that utilize “run-pass-option” (RPO) plays. Ward will be 23 years old with four seasons of collegiate starting experience when he (presumably) takes the field as the Titans’ Week 1 starter in September.