Usually, when a quarterback is selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, that prospect dominates the conversation both before and after the event itself.
That's wasn't exactly the case this year for Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who emerged down the stretch of the 2025 draft process as the clear-cut leader in this year's quarterback class, and the consensus projection to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.
Despite an inspiring football journey with a storybook feel, impressive production that never wavered as he leapt from recruiting afterthought to the highest level of college football, and a skill set that mirrors the elite franchise passers of the current NFL landscape, Ward's buzz took a back seat to other storylines leading up to this year's draft, and in the months since.
For the latest episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with ESPN's Louis Riddick to talk about this odd lack of buzz for a player with Ward's skills, numbers, and story.
Cam Ward has proven the doubters wrong throughout his entire football career so far.
Cam Ward has proven the doubters wrong throughout his entire football career so far.
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
"Sports have become an entertainment vehicle as much as they are a pure sports-junkie vehicle," Riddick admitted, saying that while he's a big fan of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter (and a good friend of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders), Ward didn't have the same visibility the Heisman Trophy winner and his quarterback enjoyed in Boulder.
"Had Cam had that kind of marketing power behind him, it would've been lights out," Riddick said. "There would've been no debating about it. There would've been no, 'Oh, Cam Ward's the No. 1 pick? That's nice. Now, let's move on to Travis Hunter and Shedeur.' It would've been, 'No, we need to talk about him.' So, I think that's part of it."
Ward himself has never seemed terribly interested in off-field attention, but his focus on simply being the best quarterback he can be is what turned him from zero-star recruit into a Heisman Trophy contender and eventually, the No. 1 pick in the draft.
"If you've ever sat with him, or even just watched his interviews, Cam is not a guy who is a self-promoter," Riddick said. "He's got plenty of charisma, but he's not the 'show-biz' type dude. He's a baller, period."
"That attitude is what made him have the kind of career that he's had, given what his start was," Riddick continued. "He was always about the work. He was always about the process. And that's not just talk. We talk a lot about 'the process,' and sometimes that shit just gets worn out. But some people talk, and some people live it. Cam lives it. From Incarnate Word, to Pullman, up there at Washington State, to transferring to Miami. It was always about that. It was a very calculated, methodical plan on his part."
Ward's leadership and work ethic quickly set the tone for the Hurricanes, after he made the decision not to declare early for the 2024 NFL Draft, and instead transfer to Miami. That decision paid major dividends for both him and the program, and it was evident right away.
"His attitude in interviews is the way he kind of took Coral Cables by storm," Riddick said. "He went down there, very much no-nonsense. He immediately wanted to know the phone numbers and whereabouts of all of his primary pass-catchers, and he basically told them all, 'Hey, get your ass to Coral Cables. I don't care where you are, you come throw with me. I'm your quarterback now. I'm the captain now. So get down here.' And he really took that program by the steering wheel, and established himself as the leader from Day 1, as far as preseason workouts were concerned, and then he backed that up with his performances on the field."
Miami QB Cam Ward drops back to pass during the Pop Tarts Bowl in December 2024.
Ward put up more huge numbers after transferring to Miami from Washington State.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
"You saw it early on, that first game against Florida down in The Swamp. He was legit, right out of the gate," Riddick continued. "We were fortunate enough to get to call two of their games last year. I got to call one the previous year when he was at Washington State, when they played Wisconsin early in the season. Every coach, every player said the same thing about him: This is a guy who's never forgotten where he's come from, he's extremely smart, he's extremely leadership-oriented. (Miami head coach) Mario Cristobal and (offensive coordinator) Shannon Dawson said he's maybe the greatest leader that Miami's ever had. And that's saying a lot, considering some of the people who have been through that school."
It's unfair to compare incoming rookies to NFL players who have set a high standard in the pros for years, but it's hard not to draw stylistic comparisons between the way Ward makes big plays on the field, and the way Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes does it.
"He's got that baseball mentality, in terms of how he throws the football," Riddick said. "It doesn't have to be perfect. Patrick Mahomes told it to me one time, he said, 'Look, to me, when I'm throwing the football, it's kind of like fielding grounders at shortstop and throwing to first base. That's why it can look, feet parallel, three-quarter/sidearm, because that's what I'm doing.' Because he was a baseball player, right? His dad was a baseball player. That's what it is to him. And most of the top quarterbacks right now, that's what it looks like."
No prospect is without room to improve, of course. Riddick loves the confidence that Ward brings to the table, but admits he'll need to learn to be more judicious at times when facing NFL defenses.
"The only thing he needs to improve upon is, honestly, not believing so much that he can make something out of nothing," Riddick said. "Sometimes it's understanding, 'I don't need to try to create something that really isn't there, I'll just live to fight another down, I'll get them on the next play.' But he never believes that, and sometimes that got him in trouble."
For a Titans team that struggled over the past two seasons while trying to develop recent second-round pick Will Levis as their potential franchise passer, Ward's arrival delivers a welcome reset that should give them a much brighter future, thanks to his total package of mental and physical traits.
"Huge mental horsepower, huge arm, huge heart, guts, all of it," Riddick said. "Command of his teammates, command of himself. He is the total opposite of Will Levis down there in Tennessee, and that's not trying to be disrespectful to Will, but that's exactly what they need."
Cam Ward at Titans Introductory press conference
Ward has a tall task ahead of him to bring the Titans back to NFL relevance.
© Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Football is the ultimate team game, though, and it falls on Ward's supporting cast (both on the field and in the front office) to ensure he reaches in lofty potential.
"Oftentimes, teams just aren't able to get the right structure in place for a quarterback," Riddick said. "But the good thing he has going for him is that the Titans have another first-year guy in (general manager) Mike Borgonzi. A lot of football fans might go, 'Who the hell is that? Where did he come from?' Well, he spent a lot of time in Kansas City with Brett Veach and Andy Reid, and he understands what it means to build a structure around a franchise quarterback, if anyone does."
Riddick said that he took criticism on social media for saying that Ward's play was reminiscent of Mahomes on tape, but that analysis was confirmed by Borgonzi.
"I didn't say he was Patrick Mahomes, but he reminds you of Patrick, the way he plays," Riddick said. "The style, the body movements, the charisma, it reminds you of him. Borgonzi said the same thing, which is why for him, once they went down to Coral Gables . . . and I was there, too, at that pro day . . . a couple of those throws that he made, they knew then, 'That's it. That's our dude. We're good to go.'"
New Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi knows what it looks like to build around a young QB.
New Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi knows what it looks like to build around a young QB.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Titans already have a talented 1-2 punch in the offensive backfield with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, and have invested resources into the rest of the offense to help give Ward as much help as possible as he hits the ground running.
"Provided that this revamped offensive line holds up, and they put a lot of resources into it, the running game stays where it needs to stay in terms of its strength and people stay healthy, and the receiving core just jells around him . . . he will make Tennessee cool again, so to speak, I promise you. And it'll be because of play on the field, and his no-nonsense attitude. Because they don't need all flash and no substance down there. They need a lot of substance, and he's gonna bring that, and I can't wait to see him play. I hope I get to see him at some point this fall."
Whatever fanfare Ward may not have received leading up to and during this year's draft, he's unlikely to be fazed by the lack of attention, just as he's been unfazed by the doubters since Day 1. If he leads the Titans back to perennial playoff contention, it won't be a surprise to anyone who paid close enough attention to see what he's always brought to the table, least of all himself.