In less than a month’s time, the Tennessee Titans will make the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Assuming they don’t trade it between now and then, that is. But in recent weeks, the possibility of a trade has looked less and less likely, given the Titans’ moves at certain positions (and lack thereof at others) in free agency. At the moment, the presumptive favorite to come off the board with the top selection is Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
General manager Mike Borgonzi said Sunday that the team would not pass on a franchise quarterback if it feels that one is available, via PaulKuharsky.com, so when Titans head coach Brian Callahan spoke Monday about Ward’s talent and progress over the years, it was certainly notable.
“You saw the flashes at Washington State — maybe it’s a talent disparity, I don’t think there is a crazy swing in talent,” Callahan said, again via PaulKuharsky.com, referencing Ward’s prior collegiate stop. “You saw the flashes. Then, all of a sudden, he gets to Miami and then you saw it consistently.
“And I think that just comes from playing. I think that’s why these guys that have stayed in school longer, who are playing four and five years, I think it’s helping them because they’re getting chances to get more reps and more opportunities and you see their games sort of smooth out, become more consistent, become more pro ready, is the best way to put it.
“You see that progression. You see his decision-making become more consistent, you see the accuracy become more consistent over the course of his career. It’s been really fun. I think I’ve watched almost every snap he’s played, so it’s been cool to see that real progression. Of where he’s at now to where he came from, he’s made a lot of really impressive improvements over his career so far.”
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Ward had easily the best year of his college career with the Canes. He previously spent two years with Washington State and before that, two years with Incarnate Word, but he never had a season quite like he did in Miami.
He set the school’s single-season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns, and in the process became the all-time NCAA leader in touchdown passes. He completed a career-best 67.2% of his passes at a career-best 9.5 yards per attempt, with a career-best touchdown rate, a career-best big-time throw rate, a career-best turnover-worthy play rate and a career-best pressure-to-sack ratio, according to Pro Football Focus.
Callahan noted that Ward’s transferring twice during his college career also helped give the coach a unique perspective on the quarterback’s development — and that he got a similar perspective on Shedeur Sanders, who transferred from Jackson State to Colorado.
“You get to see how these guys enter a new environment,” Callahan said. “How do they win their teammates over, how do they lead a room that they’re not familiar with, that they didn’t grow up with per se? That part is actually really interesting.
“The transfers have allowed you to see that opportunity for them to show their leadership and how they win over their teammates. It’s kind of unique in that regard. Before you had to wonder how it would happen in an NFL locker room, but these guys have gone to at least one other locker room, sometimes two, and they’ve found their way. So that’s kind of a benefit to be honest.
“Sometimes you get a little bit different information. Sometimes, these guys can reinvent themselves. They know maybe what they lacked at the previous school, and they can spread their wings in a different way when they get to a new place. The key is just doing the diligence at every stop they’ve been making sure you’re talking to everybody that’s had contact with those players. It’s unique now, it’s what college football is.”
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