Cam Ward has generated buzz throughout the pre-draft process — not just for his numbers but for how he plays the quarterback position. At a time when NFL teams are hunting for the next face of their franchise, the former Washington State quarterback turned Miami transfer has seen his name pop up in comparisons to none other than three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes.
The idea might sound wild on the surface. Mahomes is the gold standard of off-script playmaking. But Ward’s private quarterback coach, Darrell Colbert Jr., isn’t avoiding the conversation. He thinks there’s real substance behind it — and recently broke down exactly why the Mahomes-Ward comparison isn’t just social media hype.
‘Everything Pat Does, Cam Does’: Cam Ward’s Game Mirrors Patrick Mahomes More Than People Realize
Few people know a quarterback better than their private coach. And, according to Colbert, what Ward puts on tape doesn’t just resemble Mahomes — it’s nearly a mirror image in some ways.
“I’m not saying this kid is Patrick Mahomes,” Colbert said on the April 10 episode of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “But his play style is very Mahomes-like.” Colbert, founder of Select QB Athletics in Houston, Texas, has coached Ward (and first-round hopeful Shedeur Sanders) for nearly five years.
That statement alone would raise eyebrows, but Colbert backed it up with key physical and technical similarities: “It’s how they look — the build, the way they throw from different arm angles, and all the off-platform plays. Everything Pat does, Cam does.”
Ward, a 6-foot-2, 219-pound quarterback with a strong arm and high-level athleticism, has long drawn praise for his improvisational skills and comfort creating outside of structure. Those traits often separate good quarterbacks from great ones in today’s NFL. Colbert believes Ward’s rare ability to deliver from multiple platforms and angles makes the Mahomes comparison fair — even if it comes with caveats.
Colbert also pointed to Ward’s multi-sport background as another common thread. “The baseball background that Cam has, Patrick Mahomes has,” he noted. Ward, like Mahomes, was a standout athlete in high school — excelling not just on the football field but on the basketball court. He was a two-time all-district offensive MVP at Columbia High School in Texas, bringing well-rounded athleticism that often translates to quarterback creativity.
Ward sees the similarities himself. “(Ward) watches Patrick Mahomes, so he sees that,” Colbert said. “He’s like, ‘Okay, shoot, I do the same stuff.’ So that’s my comparison … Of course, Caleb Williams does a lot of that stuff as well, but my comparison would be Patrick Mahomes.”
It’s important to note that Colbert repeatedly clarified he’s not claiming Ward is Mahomes — just that the style, body language, and creative instincts are strikingly similar. And with NFL teams increasingly valuing traits over polish when projecting young quarterbacks, that Mahomes-lite label is part of what has Ward projected at the NFL Draft’s No. 1 selection.
Mahomes is a generational talent, bound for first-ballot Hall of Famedome. But Ward’s ability to improvise, create, and deliver with flair could make whichever team invests in him very happy.