Leading up to the start of Cam Ward's rookie campaign with the Tennessee Titans, there's been a wide variety of projections and expectations placed on the first-overall pick, and what he could bring to the table not only during his first season in the mix, but for the future of his NFL career.
Among the mix of opinions swaying in both directions on Ward, one of the strongest takes surrounding what the Titans could have in their rookie quarterback comes from NFL analyst and ex-executive, Louis Riddick.
During an interview on 104.5 The Zone's The Buck Reising Show, Riddick doubled down on one of his hot takes dished out ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft earlier this offseason, as he sees a ton of similarities between Ward and one of the best quarterbacks in recent league history, Patrick Mahomes.
“Yeah, no, I think from a stylistic standpoint, Cam has a lot of things that look very similar to the way Patrick [Mahomes] likes to play the game," Riddick said. "Patrick always described it as being like he's playing baseball, like he's just throwing the ball at first base. And that's why his feet sometimes are parallel. The ball sometimes comes out sidearm, three-quarter sidearm. It's a little unorthodox as far as how quarterback traditionally was played."
"Well, Cam Ward does the same thing," he continued. "He can do the same types of things. He has very similar arm horsepower to Patrick. He just does. I've seen it up close in person, both of them, so I know. So I'm speaking from experience.”
It's nothing short of a confident nod towards the first-overall pick, but there's certainly a case to be made that stylistically, there are a few shades of Mahomes in Ward's game that could represent a bit of his arm talent and playmaking ability.
Not to say that Ward will be on track to have a career similar to the Chiefs' three-time Super Bowl winner, but it's a great comparison to land from Riddick before Week One of the NFL season, and perhaps another reason for Titans fans to be optimistic for the future.
"He reminds me of Mahomes." @LRiddickESPN believes Cam Ward's play style compares to Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/qD7Yy0mINi
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 9, 2025
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