Days before the NFL Draft and his presumptive selection as the No. 1-overall pick by the Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward was directly compared to Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes by a pair of college football coaches who spoke to the Houston Chronicle. Both Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and Temple coach K.C. Keeler drew parallels between Ward and Mahomes, as did North Texas and former Incarnate Word coach Eric Morris.
Despite checking themselves before making the comparison, those spoken to for the Chronicle’s story gushed about Ward’s arm talent and proficiency in making big plays both inside and outside the pocket as well as his ability to improvise outside of a play’s parameters. The comparisons to Mahomes began at a spring camp for high school players in 2019, which was conducted by Ward’s future college coach in Morris.
“It’s as good a camp as I can remember since Patrick Mahomes,” Morris said. “He’s launching some posts 60, 65 yards down the field, hitting guys in stride, throwing some unbelievable balls.”
Hall of Famer Warren Moon undecided on letting Cam Ward wear No. 1 if QB gets drafted by Titans
Cody Benjamin
Ward’s path through the college football ranks to the top of the NFL Draft proved to be an unconventional one, as he first had to make a name for himself at Incarnate Word before transferring to Washington State and then Miami. Along the way, he crossed paths with others who have made their way up the college football ranks such as K.C. Keeler, now Temple’s coach after having coached against Ward at Sam Houston State.
“He has phenomenal arm courage,” Keeler told the Chronicle. “You don’t want to put expectations on the kid, but it’s kind of like Mahomes in a way.”
For his part, Ward didn’t shy away from being compared to Mahomes, a perennial NFL MVP contender who has started in five of the last six Super Bowls with a 3-2 record, saying it was a “good comparison”.
Ward will have the opportunity to prove his mettle in the same conference as Mahomes, as he will more than likely inherit quarterbacking duties for the Titans as the No. 1 pick in the Draft and play in the AFC. Although the Titans had the worst record in the NFL last year, they once opposed Mahomes in the 2019 AFC Championship Game on his way to his first Super Bowl triumph.
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