Miami standout Cam Ward is expected to be the first quarterback off the board on April 24. He has surpassed Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in what once was considered a two-man race for the top spot. The Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants are all clamoring for Ward’s services.
Everyone is keenly aware of what Ward brings to the table in terms of skills: Elite arm strength, pinpoint accuracy, supreme athleticism, and all the intangibles. The 22-year-old keeps generating more and more buzz in the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft.
Michael Irvin Shares Leadership Story on Cam Ward: ‘That’s What We Need’
Leadership is one of those unteachable intangibles. You either have it or you don’t. Cam Ward seems to have it stitched into his DNA like the ancient stone on a Mesopotamian pillow. Ward simply won’t tolerate guys who put personal accolades ahead of the team.
Hall of Famer Michael Irvin recently shared an incredible story detailing Ward’s extreme leadership in the face of selfishness. When one of his receivers at Miami decided to skip practice and work out with Lamar Jackson in Fort Lauderdale, well, the 22-year-old quarterback gave him the business.
Michael Irvin tells a story about Cam Ward’s leadership pic.twitter.com/dOPuIxyTwP
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) April 5, 2025
Irvin, laughing hard as he relayed the tale, described the scene:
“Cam Ward and the guys were going on the field to throw in Miami. And Cam called the receiver and he said, ‘Man, where are you? We’re going out to throw.’ He said, ‘Oh, I’m up here working out with Lamar Jackson. Two-time NFL MVP. Lamar Jackson. You know, go get him some Instagram shots, working out with little Lamar Jackson — go post it and everybody going to be talking about it.”
“Cam said to him, ‘Dog, you ain’t going to be catching no passes in Baltimore from Lamar Jackson this year. And if you don’t get your ass back to Miami and get on the field with us, you ain’t going to be catching no passes in Miami, either,'” Irvin continued. “And hung the phone up. That’s what we need.”
Tennessee Titans Predicted to Take Ward at No. 1 in 2025 NFL Draft
The Tennessee Titans are one of three teams in the mix to select Cam Ward with the top overall pick. It’ll be up to them whether the Miami standout throws to Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks, and Van Jefferson in 2025 or if he’s suiting up for the Cleveland Browns because they passed on him. That remains to be seen.
PFSN recently compiled a Content Creators NFL Mock Draft, in which Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky predicted Ward would land in Tennessee:
“The Tennessee Titans will still take a close look at the two Colorado prospects. I wouldn’t entirely eliminate the possibility of a trade-out for the right haul, but general manager Mike Borgonzi and head coach Brian Callahan both said at the owners’ meeting that a franchise QB is priceless, so if they love Cam Ward, he’ll be the man.”
The Stats & Insights team at PFSN added the following data to support his argument.
“No reason to get cute here. The Titans haven’t had a quarterback post an above-average QB+ grade (PFSN’s QB+ metric) since Ryan Tannehill in 2021, and Ward’s dynamic rushing ability makes all the sense in the world as this franchise tries to retool an offensive line that graded 21st a season ago.”