"Kobe wouldn’t quit on his team at halftime" - NFL fans react to Cam Ward's viral picture with late Lakers legend ahead of 2025 draft

Cam Ward is one of the top two quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, being a calculated and cold-looking savant who threw for a record-breaking 158 touchdowns throughout his college career. But once upon a time, he was a young kid who looked up to Kobe Bryant.

On Monday, aggregate account Dov Kleiman found this image of the former Miami Hurricanes quarterback sitting beside the Los Angeles Lakers legend.

"A young Cam Ward with the legendary Kobe Bryant. It all makes sense 🐍," he wrote with the image.

Reacting to the photo, some fans made mocking references to when he pulled himself out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State at halftime (Miami lost that game 41-42).

"Kobe wouldn’t quit on his team at halftime," one fan wrote.

"Kobe would’ve played that entire bowl. Game no disrespect," another commented.

"(Expletive) got zero killer in him stfu," another snickered.

But it was not all bad, as some fans supported Ward.

"He QB1 for sure," one hoped.

"Raiders need to draft Cam Ward at all cost," another demanded.

"Titans please draft Cam Ward," another begged.

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Dan Orlovsky sees similarities between Cam Ward and Baker Mayfield

The elite play that Cam Ward showed in Miami elicits, in Dan Orlovsky's eyes, comparisons to another quarterback who is currently based in Florida: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield. He said on Monday's episode of ESPN's GET UP (03:33):

"I love how loose his arm is, but also how twitchy of an athlete he is... The stuff that he does within the pocket has me way more excited than the stuff that he does outside. A lot of the conversation around him I felt has been this unbelievable playmaker outside, and there is that.

"But in the pocket, when I see his eyes go bang bang and that ball comes out, and it's so sudden, that reminds me of Baker Mayfield."

As for who will land him in the Draft, the Tennessee Titans are considered a major favorite, having scheduled a meeting with both him and Shedeur Sanders for this week. But another team is the Las Vegas Raiders, who are arguably more quarterback-needy. Ward opened up on possibly joining them during Combine week, as he said:

“It would mean a lot, especially with the coaching staff they have. Chip Kelly, the things that he can do with the quarterback, moving him outside the pocket, the concepts he does in the intermediate game. It would fit my playstyle, and Pete Carroll is a legendary coach, so if I’m lucky to go there, I know it’ll work out.”

The NFL Draft will be held from April 24 to 26. The Titans and Raiders will pick first and sixth overall, respectively.