Let’s take a closer look at one of the prospects the Panthers could select in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Since it’s never too early to look forward to the NFL Draft, this weekly series will take a closer look at some of the prospects the Carolina Panthers could select in the 2025 iteration of the Draft. In this series, we’ll only be looking at prospects the Panthers could seriously consider. With the benching of Bryce Young just two weeks into the season in favor of 36-year-old Andy Dalton, quarterbacks are now on the board. This week our profile will focus on Miami (FL) Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward.
A big, strong-armed, athletic quarterback named Cam who wears jersey number one? What’s not to like? The 6’2”, 220 lbs quarterback has had a winding road to Miami. He started in the FCS at Incarnate Word. He played well enough there to transfer to Washington State, where he played in 2022 and 2023. This year, he transferred to the U and has been dominant so far. Ward has had a ton of college quarterbacking experience, which shows in his understanding of defensive concepts and coverages. He has shown the ability to adjust plays pre-snap as well.
His arm talent is near elite, and he has a compact, elastic throwing motion. Ward uses this arm talent to make plays in the intermediate areas of the field and stretch the defense deep. He does an excellent job of attacking one-on-one coverage downfield, which leads to some big plays. Speaking of big plays, Ward has also shown an incredible ability to keep plays alive inside and outside of the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield. His experience in pro style offenses with multiple route concepts and progressions is something that should be able to translate to the next level. While he isn’t the level of running threat as the last Panthers quarterback named Cam, he is capable of taking off for decent chunks here and there if the defense is not paying enough attention.
Ward does need to show a bit more consistency under pressure, but what college quarterback doesn’t? It’s not so much a matter of being rattled. Quite the opposite, actually. Ward has too much faith in his arm at times, leading him to try to make ill-advised throws off platform when feeling the rush. That trust in his arm talent can also lead to sensational plays, and his calm, cool demeanor helps him put up some incredible highlight plays. Overall, Ward is a high level processor with a ton of experience who has the size and arm strength to thrive in the NFL.
If the Panthers do find themselves in position to take Starks in the 2025 Draft, would you want the team to take him? Sound off in the comments below!