Former scout explains why Cam Ward is a franchise quarterback

There are undoubtedly two quarterbacks at the top of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

The first, for most, is Cam Ward out of Miami. He’s a 6-foot-2, 223-pound signal-caller who threw for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions last season. 

Other scouts may prefer Shedeur Sanders out of Colorado, who, of course, is the son of Deion Sanders. Shedeur threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions for the Buffaloes in 2024. He also rushed in four scores on the ground.

There’s a realistic chance either quarterback goes No. 1 overall in this draft, but one former player and NFL scout, Louis Riddick, thinks that there’s a clear cut favorite between the two players: and that’s Ward.

Riddick recently said on ESPN’s “Get Up” that he’d be shocked if Sanders was drafted ahead of Ward. That’s not a diss on Sanders but a vote of confidence in the Miami quarterback.

“It would be shocking and look, I love Shedeur, love his father, love everything that they accomplished at both Jackson and in Colorado. But I will tell you this. Look, I just think Cam Ward is uniquely qualified to be a franchise quarterback, both in terms of his mental makeup, his story, what he has been through, the resilience that he has shown,” Riddick said (h/t On3). 

It’s not just about the mental makeup either with Ward, at least according to Riddick.

“You want to talk about a guy who has a lot of mental horsepower, who has the quickest release in college football, who can see the entire field and touch the entire field as well or better than any quarterback in this draft,” Riddick said. “And (he is someone) who did it at a consistently high level, as measured by every metric, whether it be in the pocket, outside the pocket, against pressure, clean pocket. He aced them all this year. This is his time.”

The Tennessee Titans currently have pick No. 1 and there’s reason to believe they could select a quarterback with Will Levis clearly not being the answer for them. They could also trade out of the pick, and there has been some chatter that the New York Giants may consider trying to trade up. 

Either way, Riddick believes Ward will be the prize for the team looking for a new franchise quarterback.