NFL Draft 2025: No. 1 pick Cam Ward explains why Titans ‘know they made the right choice in getting me’

For weeks, just about everyone in and around the NFL knew that the Tennessee Titans were selecting University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick. After the draft, Ward was asked how he’s going to prove that the Titans were right to take him with the top pick.

“It’s really proving myself right,” Ward said, via the team’s official website. “They know they made the right choice in getting me. But at the end of the day, I am just trying to be with my teammates, have command of the huddle, and at the end of the day, try and win games, that is our main goal.”

As for what he’ll bring to the table, Ward didn’t hold back. 

“They are getting a dog, somebody who is willing to do anything to put the team and themselves in situations to win,” Ward said. “And the ultimate goal is to win championships, whether that is this year, next year or down the road. That is our dream to accomplish, and I don’t plan on stopping until hopefully get one of those things.”

Ward put that “don’t plan on stopping” mindset on display throughout his career. He was a Wing-T quarterback in high school who was a zero-star recruit. He went to Incarnate Word for two years, lifting the program along with himself after beating out a freshman All-American for the starting quarterback job. He got better through those two years and transferred to Washington State, where he again got better and lifting the Cougars program along with him.

And then he went to Miami and set all kinds of records — single-season school records for passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions, the all-time Division I record for passing touchdowns — while lifting the program to its first 10-win season since 2017. 

Ward also described what he’s like as an actual player.

“I’d describe my game as a playmaking pocket passer,” Ward said. “I love getting the whole receiving corps and the running backs the ball. I expect to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever put it on. That is an aspiration I have had as a kid and if I work hard, be a good teammate, and trust in God, it will work out for me.”

We certainly saw the “playmaking pocket passer” archetype from Ward on the field this past season with the Hurricanes. He dominated when throwing from the pocket, leading the country in Pro Football Focus’ clean-pocket grades while completing 252 of 349 passes for 3,510 yards, 30 touchdowns and just three interceptions. And we saw the playmaking on out-of-structure plays throughout the year, with highlight-reel passes rolling to his left or escaping pressure or, at times, both. 

Now, as he heads to Nashville, he’ll have a chance to, as he said, prove himself right about the type of player he is, and that he was worthy of the No. 1 selection.