NFL Draft 2025 Rumors: Cam Ward's 'Leadership and Football IQ' Praised by Scouts

University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward drew plenty of praise for his intangibles coming out of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.

According to ESPN's Jordan Reid, multiple scouts said Ward's combine interviews were "very positive," and they were impressed with his "leadership and football IQ."

Given that Ward is widely viewed as the top quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft, he did not do any on-field work at the combine.

Ward began his collegiate career at FCS Incarnate Word before transferring to Washington State and then Miami.

While Ward was productive at his previous stops, he finally reached his full potential with the Hurricanes in 2024, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 204 yards and four scores.

In addition to finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, Ward was a consensus All-American, First Team All-ACC selection and won the Davey O'Brien Award given annually to the top quarterback in college football.

There are several teams picking high in the draft with a need at quarterback, and Ward figures to be their main target if they address the position.

The Tennessee Titans (No. 1), Cleveland Browns (No. 2), New York Giants (No. 3) and New York Jets (No. 7) could all benefit from a franchise quarterback, putting Ward firmly on their radar.

The teams picking inside the top three have to weigh the value of taking Ward compared to a top player at another position such as Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.

However, it is fairly difficult to envision Ward falling any further than the Giants at No. 3 overall.

Colorado's Shedeur Sanders is the only other quarterback considered a likely first-round pick, putting even more pressure on quarterback-needy teams to strike early on Ward or Sanders.