Miami's Mario Cristobal makes bold claim about Cam Ward ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal isn't being shy about the type of player he believes his now-former quarterback, Cam Ward, can be at the NFL level.

Ward was tremendous for the Hurricanes in 2024 after transferring from Washington State, and he's one of a handful of prospects who could realistically be taken No. 1 overall in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. It's a quarterback-driven league, and he and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders are considered the top two in this class.

As far as Cristobal sees it, though, Ward should be the clear No. 1 option and No. 1 overall pick. 

“I think he should be drafted first overall because he’s the best competitor and the best overall player in the country,” Cristobal said on "SportsCenter" on Tuesday (h/t On3). “And his competitiveness, his way of being, the way he affects the people around them, he’s second to none. I mean, he’s a guy that has changed the profile of our university, elevated everybody around him and I just think he’s a guy that can take a franchise and just elevate it and everybody in it.”