Why the Titans picked Cam Ward, and what he needs to fix

It is official.

After months of breathless speculation, film breakdowns, scouting profiles, Pro Days, private workouts, and more, Cam Ward is headed to the AFC South. The Tennessee Titans confirmed all the pre-draft buzz, and made the Miami quarterback the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Just what are the Titans getting? Are they getting the franchise quarterback they desperately need?

Let’s dive into what Ward does well, how he will win in the NFL, and what he’ll need to improve as he adjusts to life as a professional quarterback.

A proven problem solver, even in the face of pressure

There are two aspects of Ward’s strength in the pocket. The first deals with his ability to handle pressure, and the second comes in terms of how he solves problems in and around the pocket.

The two work together to paint a picture of the modern NFL pocket passer.

Let’s start with pressure. Pressure is a fact of life in the NFL for quarterbacks.

There are two different kinds of pressure you will face. First is the pressure that comes with being the first overall selection. Ward is still getting used to the new Titans hat on his head, but already you can be sure there are calls for him to start Tennessee’s first game next season before we even know who their opponent will be.

How will Ward deal with that pressure?

We cannot answer that question here tonight, only Ward himself can answer that over the coming weeks and months. That is part of the riddle Tennessee tried to solve during the draft process, but it is one of the reasons scouting is such a difficult art. We might not know the answer to that question until Ward is in Tennessee and getting his first taste of life as a professional.

But then there is the other kind of pressure quarterbacks face. The pressure of a defender in your face, or a player like Abdul Carter bearing down on your blindside. How do you deal with that?

Here is perhaps Ward’s biggest strength as a prospect.

While he has many strengths as a quarterback, Ward has a variety of ways he can succeed in the face of pressure, whether through footwork, play strength, or sometimes sheer will.

That is certainly going to serve him well in Tennessee.

Take this first example, a third-down play against Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Ward faces an unblocked interior pass rusher almost immediately after the snap as there is a breakdown in the protection. The Cyclones send a pair of rushers through the A-Gaps, as well as a nose tackle that the center takes head-on. The running back steps up to take one of the blitzers, but the second gets turned loose.

Ward shrugs that defender off, flashing the kind of play strength that matters at the quarterback position. But it is what he does next that stands out. Rather than immediately bail from the pocket — as you sometimes see from quarterbacks when they face pressure early in the down — he climbs the pocket.

As he does so he keeps his eyes downfield and spots a receiver breaking open on a crossing route. Ward drops in a perfect throw, and the Hurricanes move the chains:

(Note, for readers on Apple News you will need to click the above link to see the included play).

A few snaps later against Iowa State, Ward finds a different way to beat pressure. This time he spots a free rusher early in the down and immediately slides and climbs. Again he keeps his eyes downfield, allowing him to spot a crosser late in the play for a big gain:

On this play against Florida State, Ward sees a pre-snap Cover 0 look from the Seminoles. Here he does not beat the pressure with his athleticism, or his toughness, but rather his mind:

Ward knows before the snap that if the defense brings the seven defenders along the line, Miami cannot block everyone. So he is going to have to “catch and release” this shotgun snap if he has any chance to survive. The unblocked defender off the edge comes, and Ward immediately takes the snap and replaces that blitz with the ball, snapping off a throw on a quick slant that punishes the blitz.

This is a critical lesson for a young quarterback. Yes, it is nice to be back in a clean pocket facing spot drop Cover 3, when it feels like a Thursday night game of 7-on-7. But you should want to be blitzed, you should like being blitzed because the big plays can follow.

Provided you read it out correctly.

Let’s look at solving problems as a quarterback, with two good examples to start with. First is this quick throw against Virginia Tech:

The Hurricanes have a quad bunch to the left, and show a smoke screen to one of the receivers, hoping they can get the secondary to bite down so Ward can hit one of the deep vertical routes.

But with the Hokies dropping into a Quarter-Quarter-Half coverage, the two vertical routes are taken away. So Ward snaps off a quick, anticipation throw between two underneath defenders. A quick read, a problem solved, and a big gain for Miami on a high-percentage throw.

Here is another example of Ward solving a problem against Florida:

Miami wants to hit the spot-wheel combination to the right, with the outside receiver running the spot route while the tight end runs the wheel route. But with both routes covered, Ward is forced to his Plan C, which is a post route in the middle of the field.

With the pocket collapsing around him, Ward hangs in there and makes a strong throw for a big gain.

Let’s put it all together with this final example:

Again, Ward faces pressure after working through a full-field read. But he spins away from pressure, keeps his eyes downfield, and solves the ultimate problems faced by a great throw — while rolling to his left — for a touchdown against the Gators.

The Titans have drafted a pocket passer who can solve problems, and beat pressure, inside and outside the pocket. All prerequisites for the position.

Dialing back the aggression

Ward’s ability to evade pressure, extend plays, and solve problems is a bit of a double-edged sword. A blessing and a curse, if you will.

For many young quarterbacks, one of the first things they need to learn when adjusting to life in the NFL is what they can get away with, and what they cannot. This will be a critical lesson for Ward’s development.

Some of his biggest mistakes in college came when he was simply trying to do too much, and ended up making the problem he was trying to solve so much bigger for his team.

Take this play against Wake Forest, which comes late in the second quarter of a three-point game. Miami has the lead and the ball, just outside the red zone, facing a 2nd-and-15 situation.

Miami dials up a middle screen, with Ward pumping on a fake to the running back before looking for tight end Elijah Arroyo. But Wake Forest, specifically defensive end Jasheen Davis, diagnoses this perfectly, putting himself right in the throwing lane:

Remember, this is a 2nd-and-15 situation at the Wake Forest 29-yard line. The right play at this point? Probably to turf this, and live for third down.

Instead, this happens:

This is a quarterback trying too hard to make something happen.

Miami against Duke, just over ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and Miami leads the Blue Devils by eight. Ward and the Hurricanes face a 3rd-and-5 situation on the Duke 41-yard line.

Miami opens with a flat-7 smash concept to the left, but with Duke dropping into zone coverage, both the quick out and the corner route are covered. Ward has a window to hit the backside dig in the middle of the field, but with the pocket starting to collapse rather than stay and hit that, he rolls to his right. As he tries to buy time, he retreats to his own 40-yard line, before uncorking an ill-advised throw late, across his body, over the middle.

Thereby breaking one of the cardinal sins of quarterback play:

Cue the “Vape Pope” meme from Conclave:

These are the kinds of mistakes that Ward will need to learn to avoid in the NFL.

Another example from Miami’s game against California, with the Hurricanes trailing by 11 early in the third quarter. This comes on a 1st-and-10 situation in Miami territory.

Ward opens to a go/out combination on the right side of the formation, but with that covered, he starts to roll to his right in an attempt to create.

What he creates is another late throw over the middle, into coverage, that goes the other way for a brutal Pick-Six:

Miami survived with a one-point win, but this is another example of what not to do as a quarterback.

If there is a silver lining to this double-edged sword, it is this: It is easier to learn as a quarterback to dial back aggression than it is to learn how to dial it up. Trying to learn how to be an aggressive QB is a much tougher lesson to learn — particularly in the NFL — than it is to learn how to throw the ball away, manage risk, and sometimes live to fight for another down.

The Titans zeroed in on Ward early in this process, and hope that he can become their face of the franchise.

Given his strengths, there is every reason to believe Ward can become that player. But if his aggression remains a problem, he could end up being a very high variance quarterback for Tennessee.