The Tennessee Titans secured the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after going 3-14 in Brian Callahan’s first season as head coach. The team used the pick on Cam Ward, the consensus No. 1 QB in the draft, and while he’s largely remained away from the spotlight, unlike Shedeur Sanders, Ward is silently putting in work and earning high praises from coaches, teammates, competitors, and analysts alike.
Louis Riddick Calls Cam Ward “Stone-Cold Killer of a Leader”
Ward withdrew from the 2024 NFL Draft and joined the Miami (FL) Hurricanes to play college football for another season. He racked up 4,313 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and four rushing touchdowns with the Hurricanes.
Ward has started putting up work in the training sessions as the Titans hope to bounce back from a 3-14 season, and was reportedly kicked out of the office for spending too much time there.
The rookie’s work ethic and leadership skills, in addition to his football IQ, impressed former NFL executive turned ESPN analyst Louis Riddick. The former Philadelphia Eagles personnel director suggested that Ward was exactly what the Titans needed to turn around their fortunes.
“I think the thing that you’re going to see with Cam Ward, as the season goes on, as his career progresses, is that this guy is a football savant when it comes to being able to adjust large amounts of information and really play at a high level in terms of football IQ,” Riddick said. “I love the kid, absolutely love him, and he is a stone-cold killer of a leader, and I think that’s exactly what Tennessee needed.”
“This guy is a football savant. … He is a stone-cold killer of a leader, and I think that’s exactly what Tennessee needed.”@LRiddickESPN has high praise for Cam Ward heading into Year 1 🤩 pic.twitter.com/0F2NviArqg
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 4, 2025
Ward showed improvement in each of his last three seasons in college football and is now determined to be better in the NFL than in 2024. The 23-year-old has been so enthusiastic to get the work done that Callahan had to tell him to tone it down a little.
“I had that conversation (with him). You know, everybody always starts out, out of the gate pretty hot,” Callahan said. “But you start to get into an actual routine, and you understand how long of the season it is, and the marathon that it is for young players. From the time they finish the college season, the time they finish in the NFL season.”
Ward is poised to start for the Titans in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, though some competition from Will Levis can be expected. He signed his four-year rookie contract worth a staggering $48.75 million on May 21. The deal included a $32.1 million signing bonus.
Ward has a massive job on his hands, but Riddick is confident that he can be Tennessee’s steadying hand. The rookie got better each of his final three years in college and has the tools to bring the Titans back into playoff contention.