In Minecraft, when you enter creative mode, the world is definitely in your hands. Because there is no requirement to create resources for Rolodex, it is limited only by your own mind. However, it doesn't mean you can't create a TNT block and blow up the project, and it's ruining the replica Viking longship that took three days. With all the great tools from Arsenal, it becomes very fun – in the wrong situation, and with really difficult mods, the experience can change really quickly.
Think of Miami QB Camward as the player in Minecraft Creative mode with the most difficult mods. After a college soccer career spanning FCS suspension, Washington StateWard changed an incredible season in Miami, becoming the first player to leave the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. After seeing what Colorado QB Chedure Sanders brings to the table, let's take a look at Ward and what he can do at the next level.
What immediately stands out about Ward is his sense of playmaking and productivity outside his pocket. If every QB has a superpower, Ward is his ability to extend play. Despite not being a dominant or overwhelming athlete by any means, Ward has the innate ability to do the creative things he spoke in Minecraft, making sure he doesn't make anything late in the Down. With 69 attempts outside the pocket, Ward will be the first of any draft-qualified QBs such as Sanders. Olemis'Jackson Dart, Jalen Milllow of Alabama, and Tyler Schaff of Louisville are boom rates, meaning plays that end with one or more EPAs of the play. His incredible tricks on the outside of the pocket also appear under pressure, and he uses his athletic ability to make throws like this:
Or this:
Another thing that really stands out about Word, especially in quick games, is the upper body mechanics and release. Cory Kinnan charts and scouts QB extensivelyand the ability of Word to hit in quick games sits at an average of around 85%. He has flexible releases and is very similar to shortstop for making various arm angles in RPO games a huge success. He can drop his arm and fit the pass around the defender, making the pass that looks crazy, the one that every high school quarterback in America is trying to (and fails).
He is the angle of these arms and has access to the sword of Netlight playing outside his pocket, but his decision-making has improved a bit since his days in Washington. Ward was a man who didn't cook in books. But he shows some big boys quarterback flashes from inside the pockets and process that you can at least do the job. It's very inconsistent (I'll figure it out later), but I can see the vision as he's composed, checking out his mechanic (and reaching about it later). Of all the impressive throws made in Miami, this touchdown Virginia Tech It's one of my favorites.
To his right he has an outer receiver running out, his tight end running down the sit route and the slot receiver running through the corners. What I really like about this throw is the tiny shoulder shimmy he gives to the outer corner, he hesitates towards the route he goes out and throws this corner opens behind him. That's qb'ing on Sunday.
This against Syracuse is also pretty nice, with Ward working on this front side dig after seeing the linebacker on the back. From the endzone view, you can see how Word operates LB#8, looking over the grass and going back to his receiver, breaking the middle of the field. This is a great thing from the Hurricane QB.
Wherever you may run out of Ward will come back to Minecraft. In Minecraft, you can get too close to the sun in Creative Mode and blow up what you're working on. When you're in survival mode, you might think you'll get the iron ore you'll find on the river, but once you get there it's dark and there are monsters around. The word is free good Athlete with good Arms, his release and arm angles work more than his arm strength. When ward talks about being reckless, it starts a bit with his mechanic and base, which alleviates the strength of his arms.
When charting Ward, Kinan also noted that Miami QB finished 18/43 on deep passes this season. Plus, if you throw it on the boundary, the wards are below average. Despite having a good arm, I was wondering why Ward had these really strange mistakes and I think it comes down to his legs.
Word has a very lower half of the Airlady when it comes to mechanics. With respect to the late Mike Leach, the dynamics of the lower body of the air raid QB are very…Vibey. Ward tends to drift through his pockets, and his base is compromised as all the throws are off the platform. Unless you are Green Bay Packers'QB Jordan Love (has a rocket for the arm), it's not a sustainable way to live in the NFL.
Ward sometimes stops his torque by literally stopping him from moving. It's like hitting the brakes on an F1 car. It certainly could be a step forward, but not too far to be precise. My colleague (and QB expert) Mark Schofield said the ward's front paw was locked and he wasn't finished through it.
Are you ready for the exercise? I wake up and pretend to throw the ball like an NFL QB. Almost everything feels normal, right? Now, try it without going through your back. I think that's what Ward is doing and messing around with his ball placement. Ward's little hands could be played back by a lack of accuracy other than numbers, but I think that's a more unstable lower body mechanism. Throwing Ward's balls allows you to see how Ward's body is packed and sails through passes like this.
Look at this vertical path outside the numbers in the word. Again, his lower body is locked out, causing his accuracy to decrease. This is a lot of stuff happening with throws outside the numbers. This is part of the reason why I think he can get even better at the NFL level, with proper coaching.
If you have an elite, elite arm (see Love, Jordan), you can escape the flawed mechanic, but in the case of Ward, some of such things have to be cleaned up. The good thing is we saw that the ward can do good mechanically. I think his lower body is much more synchronized with the work of the quick game and most of the things that go through the middle. Look at this throw against Virginia Tech. All of his cleats are on the ground, and he releases his front legs and shows off a truly amazing ball arrangement.
But holding the ball thing is something I don't think I'm too worried about ward. Yes, he's holding the ball, but I think what the NFL team says to ward at the next level is to know when to fold. Ward never lets play die. And while it has the highlight play like we got to the top, we also get moments like this:
We've seen the Word Mark Throw, where he controls a second-level defender. He gets the opportunity here with Mike, but he eventually drifts from CAL 45 to Miami 45 and eats a bag. That cannot happen in the NFL.
I also think that Ward can work in the NFL, as well as being a scrambler. He's a 219-pound thick player and is incredibly tough. With at least 20 scrambles of all college QBs last year, Ward was the first in the country to be present at his first down rate as a scrambler, with a plus play rate of 87%. That's pretty good and an indicator that he can make timely scrambles.
Ultimately, in my opinion, the NFL trajectory of Words depends on one thing. The first one is when he is enough athlete to make up for some of the unstable mechanisms and trends of breaking some of the rules of that position. Jordan Love is one of the purest examples of this, a man who doesn't always cook in books, but has the athletic ability to make it work anyway. Ward is going to pass on a simple finish and look for big plays. He's looking for a touchdown. This is a good thing! But can he be a sufficient athlete in a position enough to live that way? Otherwise, could he grow as a passerby?
I think it's worth the risk for Ward, who appears to be running away with QB1 right now. I think the margin between him and Sanders is much thinner, but Ward can win in the NFL.
