About midway through Cam Ward’s showcase during the University of Miami’s pro day on Monday, things finally got gratuitous in a way that pre-draft quarterback workouts usually do.
The Hurricanes quarterback and presumptive top pick in next month’s NFL Draft took a snap from under center and reverse pivoted past a faux pass rush, rolling into a 10-step backpedal. Fading back and to his left, he unleashed a high-arching tight spiral toward teammate Xavier Restrepo, who was running an out-and-up route from the slot position. Streaking 56 yards down the left sideline, the ball dropped perfectly into Restrepo’s arms in flawless stride.
A “woooooooo,” echoed through the practice facility, along with a smattering of applause.
It’s a pass you most likely will never see in an NFL game, unless driven by an act of desperation. But given that’s what earning the No. 1 overall pick represents in this league — desperation — these workout moments are always somewhat appropriate for quarterbacks. Sometimes the theatrics play out by throwing a football 50 yards from your knees (Josh Allen). Other times it’s cranking an 80-yard pass (Patrick Mahomes). And sometimes it’s doing what Ward did, illustrating an intriguing combination of footwork and arm strength on a pass he will hopefully never need to throw in the NFL.
It was meant to make an impression on whatever team holds the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, which is clearly what Ward had on his mind entering Monday’s pro day. At one point before the workout, Ward caught the glance of Tennessee Titans executives — who are in the process of weighing options with that top pick — and let them know where he expects to be selected.
“I said, ‘I’m solidifying it today,’” Ward said in an NFL Network interview. “They know what I said. I made sure they heard me.”
Surely, the Titans knew his intentions, after a motorcade of the team’s top executives and coaches took Ward to dinner Sunday in advance of his workout. Now everyone else knows, too. The workout was attended by at least one representative from every team in the league, including a healthy contingent from the New York Giants in general manager Joe Schoen, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney. Interestingly, the Cleveland Browns’ attendance didn’t feature either general manager Andrew Berry or head coach Kevin Stefanski.
‘He’s a little doughy’
So what does all this mean? Well, first, the workout.
Three personnel talent evaluators who were in attendance passed along fairly standard positive reviews of Ward’s pro day, praising his arm strength and velocity, along with his rhythm and some common criticism about footwork that will need some tuning. He threw the deep out effortlessly and checked the typical boxes. Arguably the biggest raves were for how quickly Ward got the ball out of his hands with driving force on short to intermediate routes. While his arm won’t rate with Allen and Mahomes, it’s certainly considered solidly in the league’s second tier. One evaluator noted an upside in that respect.
“He’s still got a college [physique] and that will get better [in the NFL],” the evaluator said. “He’s a little doughy, which you kind of see with college quarterbacks. He’ll get stronger in his base and midsection, and arms get stronger that way, too. He just needs a good [strength and conditioning] program.”
Overall, the reviews did nothing to move the needle off Ward as the likeliest No. 1 overall pick in the draft. And now there are growing signs the Titans will stay at the pick and select him.
More signs that Cam Ward appears a lock for Titans at No. 1
As recently as two weeks ago, Ward was expressing a belief to some NFL personnel that he felt the Giants were likely to move up to the top pick to take him. But the Titans now appear to be focusing on choosing him with the first pick, rather than dealing down as far as the Giants’ No. 3 pick.
Here are the signs:
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First and foremost, Tennessee’s total lack of involvement in chasing a serious candidate to take the starting job from Will Levis speaks volumes. Instead, they’ve chosen to sign a support backup in Brandon Allen, who spent three seasons as a backup for Cincinnati when current Titans head coach Brian Callahan was an offensive coordinator for the Bengals. That move is interpreted as Callahan adding a player who can help bring along a young quarterback by teaching him the system Callahan brought over from his days with the Bengals.
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Multiple league sources have told Yahoo Sports the Titans are out on Levis as a starting candidate, and have speculated that Tennessee could make him available in the lead-up to the draft or afterward.
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This is an odd but often accurate data point: the Titans didn’t bring only their heavy hitters from personnel and coaching to watch Ward’s workout. They also brought a portion of their in-house social media team to the workout, which has in recent years been a staple move when teams holding the top overall pick have focused on a quarterback.
When you compare that against the Browns not sending a full contingent to watch Ward — knowing they likely won’t be moving up from No. 2 to the No. 1 overall pick — and the Giants adding Jameis Winston and still entertaining the signing of Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers, it starts to paint a picture for the top three picks in the draft.
On Monday, the image was gratuitous at times for Cam Ward and the Titans. But that was also the point of the whole endeavor.
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