Cam Ward's Keys To Top Of NFL Draft: 'Believe In God And Work'

INDIANAPOLIS – Want to understand Cam Ward's mindset as he tries to be the first pick selected in the April NFL draft? Ask him to name the NFL's top 5 quarterbacks in no particular order.

"I would say, I'm not going to include myself," Ward said after a momentary pause. "I'm not in the league yet."

He'll be in the league starting on April 24 because that's the day of the NFL draft's first round. And that will be the moment prayers and hard work will pay dividends for a kid who has already had quite a journey – from tiny West Columbia, TX (pop. 3616), to the University of Incarnate Word, to Washington State, to the University of Miami.

Cam Ward has a warning message for NFL teams who may pass on him in April. (Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cam Ward: Success Is About God And Work 

"I just put my head down and work every day," Ward said. "I've prayed about it. I've been praying for this moment since I was six. I'm blessed to be here. 

"A lot of us guys are just blessed to be here. And to everybody who was in a situation like me of not having scholarships and all that, all you have to do is believe in God and work. Those two things will take care of everything."

It helps that Ward has other gifts at his disposal – such as an amazing work ethic off the field, and a fine arm combined with calm demeanor on the field.

About that demeanor. Whatever team picks Ward will have to be familiar with this young man's amazing, frustrating, cringe, eye-popping style that at once seems calm and unaffected and maybe sometimes disinterested on the field.

Ward Plays With Casual Confidence

So watch him play. Sometimes, when the play doesn't go as scripted, and receivers are not open, he'll just stand there. 

And stand there.

And maybe shuffle left or right before he unleashes a shot of a pass

Critics say he holds the ball. 

"It's something someone says that really doesn't know football that well," Ward said. "If you have time in the pocket, why would you not hold the ball and let your receivers get open? If you're able to make plays out of structure, of course you've got to hold the ball and try to make plays to get your receiver open."

That requires confidence amid chaos.

"It requires confidence but also it requires film work," Ward said. "Watching the defensive linemen and understanding if they're running [stunts] or just rushing four. You also have to have ability to get away from the pocket.

"Early in my career I would get out of the pocket when the pocket was clean. But with the [offensive line] in Miami they just kept me upright."

Ward Moves But Isn't A Scrambler

Ward has grown in that he is no longer a scrambler. He's a pocket passer. 

"I think my best trait is winning from the pocket," Ward said. "I got better at that in my years in college. As a quarterback you can't rely on the scramble drill and having to win out of structure. If you can't win in the pocket, you'll never be successful."

Ward will almost definitely be the first quarterback off the board on draft night. Colorado's Shedeur Sanders is also a candidate for that prize, but most personnel people at this combine seem to prefer Ward because of his slightly better arm and higher ceiling.

Neither Ward nor Sanders will throw at this combine. Both will throw at their respective pro days.

Ward expects his film and that pro day workout will show teams at the top of the draft that he's worthy of perhaps the first overall selection.

"I'm willing to do anything to win a football game," he said. "Whether it's to be a gunslinger all day or hand the ball off a couple of time. At the the end of the day, I know what type of player I am. A team should know what type of player they're getting in me. I'm just going to go out there and try to do my best for myself and my future teammates."

Ward, 22, is a serious dude. He's about business and that is easy to discern. But if teammates don't get that on their own, he'll let them know.

"I'm not no rah-rah guy," Ward said. "At this point in your career in the NFL, you shouldn't need somebody to motivate you. You got to be self-motivated. That's the type of person I am. That's the type of leader I am. So, I just think what I can bring to a franchise is a motivated leader."

Oh, about that list of top five quarterbacks … Here's Ward's list in no order:

Jayden Daniels.

Patrick Mahomes.

Lamar Jackson.

Josh Allen.

Jalen Hurts.