A Tale of Two QBs … There was some drama in the otherwise totally undramatic, meaningless non-playoff bowls yesterday when both the top two QBs available in the 2025 draft class – Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward of Miami – opted to play in their respective teams post-season games, only to very different results. The Canes’ Ward, on the one hand, only played the first half of the Canes loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, but was outstanding in the half he did play completing 12 of 19 passes for 190 yards and three scores that staked Miami to a half-time lead. In the process, Ward established an all-time high for career TD passes by a D1 passer, although Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, who could play as many as three more games in the actual CFP playoffs is right behind him. Ward didn’t face much pressure against the Cyclones, but when he did was quick, athletic and decisive. Colorado’s Sanders, in contrast, was under constant pressure from the opening KO and while he finished with 208 yards and a couple of scores also had a couple of picks and was sacked four times.
Whether what happened in yesterday’s games will have all that much impact on the ultimate grades of Sanders or Ward is hard is still to be determined, although we note that it probably isn’t all that much. NFL teams as a generally don’t put all that much stake in one game; they look at a players overall body of work and skill set. In fact, they don’t really scout games at all as such, they evaluate plays. That said, a couple of things that we kind of noticed that may impact the grades of the two players. On the one hand, Ward did just seem more decisive and even when pressured was able to make plays downfield. More importantly, perhaps, we just got the sense that Ward had a lot more zip on his passes that Sanders. Time will tell.
