2025 NFL Draft: Cam Ward could suffer Caleb Williams-like fate in NFL with glaring issue in his game

Former NFL linebacker and current ESPN analyst Sam Acho believes that Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward could face similar struggles in the NFL to that of Caleb Williams. Williams himself just wrapped up his rookie campaign with the Chicago Bears after the club selected him first overall in 2024.

The Chicago Bears signal-caller faced a tough challenge in 2024 as the most sacked quarterback (68) in the NFL. He is far ahead of the next most sacked quarterback in the Houston Texans' CJ Stroud at 52. One reason for Williams' struggles in the backfield is the fact that he tries to hang onto the ball too long in an attempt to extend plays and make some magic happen.

It's that very tendency that garnered him so much attention during his college football days, and why he was the first overall pick. However, it's difficult to get away with that kind of style in the NFL, as evidenced by Williams' rookie campaign. Due to the similarity in their styles, Acho believes Cam Ward would experience similar results in his NFL tenure.

"For me, I think the biggest issue with Cam Ward's game that may be hard to translate to the NFL, is how much he moves around in the pocket," Acho said. "There's a level of confidence, which is positive. There's a level of, 'Okay, you cannot make these plays against NFL pros. These are amazing Heisman type plays, but in the NFL, it doesn't always work.'

"We saw Caleb Williams make plays like these in college, then got the NFL and got sacked 68 times. And so, one area of improvement for Cam Ward is just to understand that you're not going against Georgia Tech, you're not going against Syracuse, you're going against Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, TJ Watt, these are freak athletes."

Cam Ward hopes to translate collegiate success to the NFL

Cam Ward sits atop many NFL draft analysts' boards alongside Colorado's Shedeur Sanders as the top signal-caller available in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Ward put up phenomenal numbers in his senior campaign with the Hurricanes, throwing for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

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Ward can also make plays with his feet, rushing 60 times on the year for 204 yards and four touchdowns. With plenty of quarterback-needy teams in the top 10, Ward could end up landing with any number of organizations when the day comes.

The 2025 NFL Draft is scheduled from Thursday, April 24 to Saturday, April 26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.