re: If it had to be one or the other: trade up for Cam Ward, or draft Dart at 9?

How about trade Olave anyway because he will want to be paid way more than he's worth, then draft whoever KM thinks is the guy regardless of position.

You can probably get a receiver in the second or third to replace Olave's production at this point.

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I will take Dart over giving away the store for Ward.

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these are nice words on paper but bottomline is if you feel that ward is the superior qb, it ain't a discussion. you get the superior qb. but that conviction has to be an obvious organization decision and you want your offensive coach in agreement.

I am not for trading a godfather package with the shape of the franchise.

At that point you have:

1) A roster that is old and lacking in depth

2) No significant long term cap space to make drastic talent upgrades

3) Limited draft picks to add high end talent


Recipe for total disaster

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these are nice words on paper but bottomline is if you feel that ward is the superior qb, it ain't a discussion. you get the superior qb. but that conviction has to be an obvious organization decision and you want your offensive coach in agreement

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It’s too expensive and risky. The benefit would not be justified unless Ward turns out to be a possible Hall of Fame caliber QB.

" if you feel that ward is the superior qb, it ain't a discussion. you get the superior qb."

I agree with this thought process, but based on what I have seen, I have serious doubts about Ward being a future top tier (basically top ten) QB in the NFL over the course of the next decade. I admit my limited occasions to watch Ward play, and it is not like I am saying he is terrible or has no chance. But if I had to bet, I would bet that Ward does not meet this standard. Therefore, I would not trade the necessary assets to get him.

This question ultimately comes down to how you feel about Ward's evaluation...or how the team feels, I guess. If he's actually a franchise QB then that price is easy to stomach, but if he busts it sets you back a long time

With what I know I'd prefer door #2 and just hope we nail the other 3 picks involved in the potential trade. I don't feel WAY better about Ward vs Dart (though I do like Ward more for sure) so it's kind of moot.

Take best player available and take neither. We'll be bad enough next year we'll be close to the top of the draft again so worry about a QB then with hopefully a better qb class

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Recipe for total disaster

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This is what will happen. Been Mickey’s receipe the last few years.

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Arm talent is not all a franchise QB needs though.

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Indeed. It's seems no one bothers to take the time to dig deeper into the character at all especially when it comes to QBs. Everything revolves around physical measurables which has been proven time & time again NOT to be the determining factor to whether or not a QB pans out in the NFL.

In terms of Cam Ward, he had to work his arse off to get where he is today. A zero star recruit with no D1 offers. Starting out in college at Incarnate Word. Building his game up where he was able to transfer to Washington St then Miami while the whole time steadily working hard to improve. His work ethic is RIDICULOUS.

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That journey is now the focus ofZero Star, a docuseries currently in production from Firebrand Media, with Ward slated to star in its premiere episode. As a zero-star recruit with no ranking or scouting buzz, even his ironclad confidence felt the pressure.

“What I feel separated me from [more popular players] is that I was willing to do anything,” he explained, “I still will to do anything to get what I want out of football, whether I’m taken [at] the first pick or I’m taken the last pick of the draft. At the end of the day, everything is a mindset. If you don’t have the mindset, you’re not [gonna] be successful on the field or off the field.

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Because he was a zero star without any offers, the chip on his shoulder to continue to prove people wrong is enormous.

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Ward made it clear he still feels the pain of being overlooked coming out of high school.

"It will always fuel me for the rest of my life," Ward said at ACC Media Days in late July. "I know what I was thinking and feeling at that time in my life and I don't ever want to go back to that. Every day I step on the field, whether it is a practice or a game, I remind myself where I came from and how I got here and all the coaches that overlooked me. There are coaches in this building today who wouldn't give me a chance when I was in the portal. There are players that I am walking past who were rated higher than me in high school. They don't know that, but I know that. I always keep that with me. I play with a lot of hate in my heart and it is the good kind of hate. I don't really give a [crap] what anybody has to say about me. The only opinion that matters to me is my mom and dad and the guys in the locker room and the coaching staff."

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Ward continues to have a 'chip-on-your-shoulder' attitude going into his final season at the college level at Miami. He is highly driven to continue to improve and he searches for any doubters he can find so that he can prove them wrong.

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On going head-to-head last season against 2024 NFL Draft first round picks at quarterback, Michael Penix of Washington and Bo Nix of Oregon: "Just me being a competitor, I think I am better than those guys and when I played against them, I thought I was the best man on the field…One of the reasons why I came back to college this year is I want to put myself in a better position with the NFL Draft. I am way better than how people see me, but at the end of the day I have to go prove it and I plan on doing that each Saturday in the fall." (Ward threw for 317 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions against Washington while Penix passed for 204 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Against Oregon, Ward threw for 438 yards and one touchdown while Nix threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Washington State lost both games. Ward says the NFL Draft feedback he received this offseason was that scouts viewed him as a third-to-fifth round pick.)

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His competitive fire runs hot.

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On the challenge of playing in intense road environments: "I wish we could play every game on the road. I love road games because it is better to beat somebody at their crib. The only thing about winning at home is you can go right back to the house after the game. If I could make the schedule, I would honestly go all away games." (Ward named Washington, Oregon, and USC as being the toughest road atmospheres he has experienced to this point. He is looking forward to the challenge of playing Florida at 'The Swamp' to kickoff the 2024 season.)

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I really want to win a championship. The more we win games, the more everybody will be blessed with accolades. I want to be known as a winner, not just a quarterback who can put up big stats." (Ward went 12-13 at Washington State. He led Incarnate Word to a 10-3 record in 2021.)

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Leadership???

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"I would describe my leadership style as assertive," Ward said. "I'm not the rah-rah guy, but when shite is out of hand, I am quick to get on that. We can't let it get worse. I got better at that at Washington State and here. Coach Cristobal is letting me be myself around the guys. I don't sugarcoat anything to the guys. I told coach Cristobal to let me talk to the guys the way I want to talk to them. Don't care about the words that come out, it is the message that I am trying to preach and he is letting me do that."

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"Ultimate guy, ultimate teammate," Arroyo said. "I mean, everybody sees what Cam does on the field and his confidence and everything. But the biggest thing I would say is just the type of leader he is. You know, he from day one, he brought the team in like this. You know, he's not afraid to hold people accountable. You know he wants to win, and he holds the team to a certain standard, and he doesn't care how he's going to get his point across."

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People can argue until they are blue in the face about Cam Ward's physical measurables & abilities but as far as the character intangibles that it takes to be a successful QB in the NFL, he checks every box.