Overview

Position: QB

College: Miami

Class: Senior (RS)

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 6’1 5/8”

Weight: 219 lbs.

Arm length: 30 5/8″

Hand size: 9″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: N/A

10-yard split: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Very live arm and the ball jumps out of his hand. Natural thrower with exceptional overall arm talent. Great arm strength and velocity. Extremely quick release. Sturdy build and seems to carry weight that will help withstand hits. Plays with remarkable calmness and poise. Plenty of experience in the RPO game. Pulls the ball and fires it to his pass-catchers. Innate accuracy to deliver the ball from different platforms and arm angles. Able to drop his arm angle even further when needed. Impressive ability to drift and deliver a strike. Very comfortable working deep intermediate routes. Will thread throws between defenders. Pinpoint accuracy and precision on in-breaking routes. Lasers passes to the facemask of his receiver on slants. Drives the ball very accurately on posts and corners. Drives the ball accurately on stop routes to the perimeter. Exceptional feel and accurate for back-shoulder passes. Tremendous accuracy and feel for throwing to a spot. Excellent touch and timing on deep over routes. Good deep ball with the arm power to launch throws. Excellent creativity and balance to extend plays. Delivers the ball accurately while fading away. Keeps his eyes downfield as a scrambler. Innate feel for linebackers coming to pursue and throwing over them when extending plays. Plus speed and overall mobility. Great vision as a runner. Will see green grass and go. Has shown he will get down to protect himself. Said to be all about football. Caught a touchdown versus Florida State (2024).

 

Weaknesses

Needs to tighten up overall passing mechanics. Almost too relaxed at times. General questions about working through progressions from the pocket. Inconsistent reading things out and attacking based on the coverage. Too often doesn’t recognize an open receiver opposite the primary progressions based on the coverage look. Will be aggressive testing coverage rather than taking an open throw underneath. Would like to see more air on the deep ball at times. Will attempt a downfield shot when his receiver doesn’t have a step. Want to see him look off coverage when attacking vertically. Could be better sensing pressure in the pocket. Sometimes unnecessarily moves when given a clean pocket. Accuracy drops with pressure around him. Will have mechanics fly open and miss a throw. Seems to move in an attempt to create an easier throw rather than using anticipation at the top of his drop. Low release could lead to balls being batted down. Had a bad pick-six versus California on a throw across the field rolling to his right (2024).

 

NFL comparison

Zach Wilson

 

Conclusion

Overall, Ward is an extremely talented passer with playmaking ability and a live arm to attack all areas of the field. As he polishes his game, the best would fit be in an offense that features plenty of quick throws, RPOs, and in-breaking routes.

 

Big Board ranking: #13 | Positional ranking: #3