* - How well does his skill set carry over
to the fantasy game? For quarterbacks, a player needs to be a
realistic threat for 4,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards
to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional scarcity at
the pro level is also a part of the equation.
Positives
Film is littered with anticipatory and good tight-window
throws; showed the ability to work through his progression when
he was not trying to play "hero ball." (He led Power
Four quarterbacks with 22 touchdowns and 2,366 passing yards
when facing single coverage and tight windows over the middle
in 2024.)
Shows the nuance to understand when he should adjust
the trajectory and touch of his throws, which allows him to
be accurate more often than most strong-armed quarterbacks.
Confidence in his pocket presence and pocket mobility
allows him to keep his eyes downfield in spite of pass-rush
pressure.
Possesses more than enough arm strength to threaten
all areas of the field.
Combination of quick release and arm strength allows
him to complete throws most quarterbacks should not make.
Strong base allows him to shake off defenders and work
his way out of tackles as a passer.
Negatives
More gunslinger than game manager; struggles to give
up on a play at times and will take unnecessary chances against
covered receivers downfield, sometimes leading him to make cross-body
throws or run into a sack.
Consistently struggled while feeling pressure throughout
his college career, including a 34.8 percent success rate under
pressure in 2024, per Pro Football Focus.
Per PFF, he completed only 39 percent of his red zone
passes in 2024.
Patience and calm in the pocket occasionally lead to
him holding onto the ball for too long.
Occasionally too fascinated with his ability to throw
from different arm angles; needs to limit how often he throws
below three-quarters.
Limited ability as a runner; can move the chains but
is not an explosive athlete.
Bottom Line
If Ward's positives and negatives read a lot like Caleb Williams'
profile from last year, it is because there are similarities.
The major differences between the two are: 1) Williams is a much
better athlete and 2) Ward is much less adept at improvising.
While college gunslingers often learn to work within the offensive
structure more as they become pros, they usually find it difficult
to shed that part of their personality in the NFL completely.
Therefore, the team that drafts Ward will have to hope that his
ability to shrug off tacklers and extend plays will translate
to the pro game as it did for Roethlisberger coming out of Miami
(OH) 21 years ago.
At this point of his development, he is more Winston with a quicker
release. As is the case with most young signal-callers, Ward would
greatly benefit by landing with a team with a strong rushing attack
so that he can lean on play-action passing as he adjusts to the
NFL. A good play-action game will not only cut down on how often
he can get tricked by the more complex coverages that NFL defenses
offer, but it will just as importantly take advantage of his ability
to push the ball down the field. Ward is highly unlikely to be
the kind of quarterback prospect that puts an offense on his back
as Jayden Daniels did as a rookie, but there is enough nuance
to his game to be an effective ball distributor early in his career.
That will especially be the case if his new offensive coordinator
and quarterbacks coach can improve his footwork, cut down on the
unnecessary arm angles and teach him when to live for another
down.
Doug Orth has written for FFToday since 2006 and joined the
Fantasy Points website before the start of the 2024 season. He is
also a highly successful high-stakes player who often appears as
a guest analyst on Sirius XM. Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
Sports Writers Association. Please check out his new podcast with
JJ Wenner called "The All-Out Blitz."
