2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Cam Ward, QB Miami
Cam Ward has had an amazing rise over the past five years. He went from an unheralded small-town Texas high school quarterback to an FCS program, to eventually being a Heisman finalist.
Ward’s rise from an FCS standout to a Power Five sensation has shown the insane growth and development over his collegiate career. Now he is a legitimate candidate to be the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
NFL teams will love Ward’s ability to create within structure, but will see that he thrives with off-platform throws that make him an ideal fit for the modern NFL.
He isn’t the fastest QB around, but he can scramble and pick up yards on designed QB-running plays. Ward is a cool customer, who has faced down some major deficits in his career and brought his team back time and time again.
So how did Ward get to this spot in his life and career? Let’s dive in.
Recruitment
Ward played quarterback in a Wing T-style offense at Columbia, Texas, High School. He threw for just over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior and then threw less than 12 passes a game his senior year. This led Ward to being a zero-star recruit.
After high school, Ward signed with Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. Ward won the starting QB job as a freshman and proceeded to throw for 2,260 yards and an FCS-leading 24 touchdowns with only four interceptions in the COVID-shortened six-game season in 2020-2021. Ward won the Jerry Rice Award, for the best FCS freshman player in the nation, that season.
Ward followed that up with an impressive sophomore year, throwing for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year. That catapulted him into the consciousness of high-level programs. He entered the NCAA transfer portal, where he ended up at Washington State.
Collegiate Career
After two successful years at Incarnate Word, Ward put together two strong seasons in Pullman, Washington. After throwing for 6,968 yards with a combined 61 touchdowns and only 16 interceptions, Ward decided to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.
After hearing a lot of feedback that said he would be a possible mid-round selection, Ward eyed a return to college to up his professional stock. He eventually received an offer from Miami to lead their offense.
Ward took total advantage. He had a record-shattering 2024 campaign at Miami, where he rewrote the Hurricane record books. Ward finished with 4,123 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, breaking both Bernie Kosar’s single-season passing record and Steve Walsh’s touchdown mark.
The Hurricanes were in the mix for the college football playoffs all season, before a couple late season losses knocked them out of contention.
Ward had seven 300+ yard passing games and three 400+ yard passing games in 2024. He threw for two or more touchdowns in all but one game last season. Those variables led him to win the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s best quarterback, while also winning the ACC Player of the Year after carving up defenses with surgical precision all season. Ward was also in the Heisman race all season, eventually finishing fourth in the final Heisman Vote.
Strengths
- Shows a special ability to extend plays and find receivers downfield
- Has nice poise in the pocket, almost Zen-like
- Layers the ball nicely over linebackers, with great accuracy on intermediate routes
- Can move in the pocket and make off-platform throws
- He has had to earn everything he’s ever gotten in football
Weaknesses
- Concerns over ball security when trying to extend plays
- Struggled with pressure directly in his face
- Has a strong arm, but relies on it too much, throwing off balance and not setting his feet
- Deep ball accuracy wavers when his mechanics break down
Draft Value
Courtesy of NFL Mock Draft Database.
Ward has been projected as a top-three pick in this draft since October. In mock drafts, he is going as pick one, two, or three almost every time. The farthest he has fallen is the sixth pick to the Raiders.
The debate leading up to the draft is whether Ward or Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will be the first quarterback selected in April’s NFL Draft. It is a two-man race at the moment.
There are a lot of teams at the top of the draft that need a quarterback. The Tennessee Titans are in the top slot. They drafted Will Levis out of Kentucky in the second round in 2023. Levis was rumored to be a top-five pick, but eventually was the fourth quarterback off the board at the top of the second round. He struggled during his second season, and eventually got benched for Mason Rudolph. The Titans have hired a new general manager Mike Borgonzi. Will he give Levis more time to develop or is he ready to start over with a new QB? A majority of the mock drafters in the Mock Draft Database had Ward going as the top pick in the draft to the Titans.
The Cleveland Browns have the second pick. They have Deshaun Watson under contract through 2026, but he has been a massive disappointment and is trying to recover from a torn Achilles. The New York Giants moved on from former first-round pick quarterback Daniel Jones during the 2024 season. QB would seem to be high on their priority list. A handful of mock drafters had Ward going to either the Browns or the Giants.
The other spot a few mock drafters had Ward landing was in Las Vegas with the Raiders with the sixth pick. He has a legitimate shot at being the top overall pick in the draft. If he falls out of the top three picks, it would be extremely surprising.
Dynasty Outlook
Ward seems to have the inside track on being the QB1 in this draft class and possibly being the top overall player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The scouting process will be important for Ward. He has a lot of film on tape, but not a ton against top-level competition. There will be scouts who fall in love with him and what he brings to the table. There will be others who see a player who still needs quite a bit of work at the next level to be successful.
The top players off of the board in fantasy drafts should be Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden and the two quarterbacks.
In 1QB dynasty fantasy leagues, I see Ward dropping near the end of the first round or somewhere in the mid-second round depending on when and where he actually gets drafted. The first round of 1QB leagues is most likely to be littered with RBs and WRs.
In Superflex or 2QB leagues, Ward and Sanders will push Jeanty, McMillan, and Burden for the top four spots in fantasy drafts. If Ward eventually is the top overall pick to the Titans, that will likely push him up in fantasy draft boards. If he somehow slips after the draft process, he could end up taking a big hit in fantasy circles.
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Cam Ward, QB Miami - January 29, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado - January 17, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Ashton Jeanty, RB Boise State - January 15, 2025
