Is Cam Ward playing in the Senior Bowl? Looking at the Miami QBs availability

This week has been all about college football all-star games, with hundreds of NFL draft prospects showcasing their talents at both the East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas, Texas, and the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The Shrine Bowl was played last Thursday, Jan. 30, so Saturday afternoon marks the final in-game opportunity for these prospects to show potential NFL teams that they are worthy of being selected.

Only a handful of potential first-round picks will be on the field though, and one of those who opted out of participating in the game is Miami Hurricanes quarterback and potential top overall pick, Cam Ward. While these bowl games are a good place to show off skills, top prospects have opted out of participating in them due to the risks to their health and their draft stock. As a result, more of the players who are projected to go on Day 2 or 3, or those currently are not currently projected to be drafted, are the ones who play in the games.

Cam Ward looking to be top QB taken in the NFL draft after monster season

Cam Ward is currently projected to nab a top-three slot in the upcoming NFL draft in April, possibly even the first quarterback taken. As such, he does not need the time on the field as much as his other draftmates at quarterback, who could use this time to try and shoot up the draft boards.

Ward will look to capitalize on a monster season this year with the Hurricanes and turn that performance into a top overall pick. He threw for 4,313 yards with 39 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He added 204 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns as the Hurricanes finished the season 10-3, good for third in the ACC.

Ward has never revealed the true reason why he opted out of even practicing for both bowl games. The next chance we may see him could be at the NFL Scouting Combine in March.

The Senior Bowl will be played at the University of South Alabama's Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game starts at 1:30 PM CT and will be broadcast on the NFL Network.