In the middle of the Camward showcase during Miami University’s Pro Day on Monday, things finally went free as pre-draft quarterback training normally.
The Hurricane quarterback and the putative top pick in next month’s NFL Draft took a snap from under center, pivoted backwards past a fake pass rush, then rolled over into a 10-stage back pedal. Descending to the left, he unleashed a sharp, tight spiral towards his teammate Xavier Replipo, who was running the route out of his slot position. Streaking down the left sideline for 56 yards, the ball fell perfectly perfectly, and with perfect walking he fell into restrepo’s arms.
“woooooo” echoed through the training facility with applause.
This is probably a pass you’ll never see in an NFL game unless driven by a despair. But it’s hopeless considering it wins the overall pick of No. 1 in this league. These workout moments are always a bit appropriate for the quarterback. Sometimes the play plays by throwing 50 yards of soccer from your knees (Josh Allen). He also cranks 80 yards of passes (Patrick Mahomes). And sometimes it’s doing what Ward does, showing an interesting combination of footwork and arm strength on the pass.
It was intended to make the impression that the team holding the No. 1 overall pick in the draft was something Ward had in his mind as he entered Monday’s Pro Day. At one point before the workout, Ward spotted the gaze of a Tennessee Titans executive (who is in the process of measuring options with its top pick) and informed him where he hoped to be selected.
“I said, ‘I’m solidifying it today,'” Ward said in an interview with the NFL Network. “They know what I said. They confirmed they heard me.”
Certainly, the Titans knew what he was trying to do after the team’s top executives and coaches convoys took Ward to dinner on Sunday. Now everyone else knows it. At least one representative from all teams in the league participated in the training. These include general manager Joe Schoen’s New York Giants, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and quarterback coach Shea Tierney. Interestingly, attendees for the Cleveland Browns did not feature general manager Andrew Berry or head coach Kevin Stefanski.
“He’s a bit of a dough.”
So does this mean everything? Well, first of all, work out.
The three talent evaluators present took over a rather standard positive review of Ward’s Pro Day, praised the strength and speed of his arm, and praised some general criticism of his rhythm and footwork that requires some tuning. He was easily discarded deep and checked out the typical box. The biggest rave was the speed at which Ward passed the ball in his hand, driving from the middle route to the shorter route. His arms are not valued by Allen and Mahomes, but they are certainly well thought out in the second tier of the league. One evaluator pointed out the advantage in that regard.
“He still has college (size), but that’s getting better (in the NFL),” the rater said. “He’s a bit of a dough, it’s like you see at a college quarterback. He’s getting stronger at his base and mid-centre, and his arms are strong. He just needs a good (strength and conditioning) program.”
Overall, the review did nothing to move the needle from the ward as the most likely top pick in the draft. And now, Titan remains on the pick and the signs of choosing him are growing.
More signs than Camward looks like the rock of the number one Titan
Two weeks ago, Ward had expressed his belief to some NFL officials that he felt it was likely that the Giants would move to the top pick to take him. But Titan now appears to be focusing on picking him on the first pick, rather than dealing with the Giants’ three picks.
Here are some signs:
First and foremost, Will Revis speaks volumes after a serious Tennessee candidate. Instead, they chose to sign a support backup for Brandon Allen. Brandon Allen spent three seasons as Cincinnati backup when current Titans head coach Brian Callahan was the Bengali offensive coordinator. The move is interpreted as Callahan, who teaches him the system that brought him to his days with the Bengals, adding players to help bring in the younger quarterback.
Sources from multiple leagues have speculated that Titan is on Revis as a starting point, allowing Tennessee to use him for the draft.
This is strange, but often an accurate data point. The Titans didn’t bring in just the heavy HR and coaching batsmen to watch Ward’s workout. They also brought some of their internal social media teams into their workouts. This has been a staple in recent years when teams holding the overall picks focused on quarterbacks.
Compare it with the Browns and don’t send a perfect condition to monitor the ward – when they know they won’t go up from 2nd to the 1st overall pick, and the Giants start drawing the top three picks of the draft, as they add Jamaice Winston and entertain the signatures of Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
On Monday, the image was sometimes free for Camward and the Titan. But that was also the point of the overall effort.
