CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Cam Ward had a message for the Tennessee Titans on Monday.
“I’m solidifying it at the moment,” he stated.
‘It’ could be the No. 1 choose in subsequent month’s NFL draft. In a month, the now-former Miami Hurricanes quarterback will discover out if that’s certainly the case.
Realizing all eyes within the constructing have been on him, Ward went via his whole repertoire of throws in a 45-minute session with representatives from all 32 NFL groups watching at Miami’s professional day: brief, deep, slants, sideline routes, even some sidearm ones.
And the final play was a trick one — he caught a landing cross from receiver Xavier Restrepo, a play that Ward drew up himself to have some enjoyable.
Ward placed on a present. The ball is in Tennessee’s court docket now, as holders of the No. 1 total choose.
“They lastly bought to see me throw in particular person. That ought to be all they should see,” Ward stated. “On the finish of the day, in the event that they need to give me the choose or not, I’m going to be proud of no matter workforce I am going to. I simply need to play soccer.”
Ward was the closing act at Miami’s professional day, with expectations rising that the Heisman Trophy finalist who rewrote the Hurricanes’ file e-book final season might be the primary total choose when the draft begins April 24.
Professional day was the primary time Ward had thrown publicly since his school finale, a first-half look for Miami within the Pop-Tarts Bowl again in December. He didn’t throw on the NFL Mix final month, saying he needed to attend till Miami’s professional day the place he might throw to “the very best receiving corps within the nation.”
“He’s one in every of one,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal stated.
However will he be No. 1?
That’s as much as the Titans to resolve.
Tennessee despatched what appeared like your entire entrance workplace to look at Ward. The listing included soccer operations president Chad Brinker, head coach Brian Callahan, basic supervisor Mike Borgonzi, assistant basic supervisor Dave Ziegler, vp and soccer advisor Reggie McKenzie, offensive coordinator Nick Holz and quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree.
Ward was even chatting with among the Titans’ workers between throws, smiling as he walked away after dropping the “I’m solidifying it at the moment” remark. He had extra conversations with some members of the Titans’ contingent when the exercise was over as effectively.
“I’m simply excited to see the place I’m going to finish up, so I can lastly be taught the playbook,” Ward stated.
Ward ended his school profession with a Division I (FBS and FCS degree) file 158 landing passes. His whole of 18,189 passing yards — 6,908 at Incarnate Phrase, 6,968 at Washington State and 4,313 at Miami — is third-most in NCAA historical past behind solely Case Keenum and Dillon Gabriel.
He rewrote Miami’s file e-book in 2024, his lone season with the Hurricanes. He left the varsity as Miami’s single-season chief in yards, completions (305), landing passes (39) and completion proportion each for a season and a profession at 67.2%.
Ward’s rise was meteoric all through school. He went to Incarnate Phrase as a zero-star recruit and wound up because the Atlantic Coast Convention’s offensive participant of the 12 months, an AP All-American — and fairly probably the No. 1 choose.
“Now the entire world’s me,” Ward stated.
Ward, barring one thing very shocking, could be the primary Miami participant taken within the first spherical of an NFL draft since Jaelan Phillips went 18th and Greg Rousseau went thirtieth in 2021. Ward would even be Miami’s first offensive participant taken in a primary spherical since tight finish David Njoku in 2017 and might be Miami’s third No. 1 total choose — becoming a member of quarterback Vinny Testaverde in 1987 and defensive lineman Russell Maryland in 1991.
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