2025 NFL Draft risers and fallers: Cam Ward, Kyle McCord impressing early in 2024 season

Every week on the “With the First Pick” podcast, Rick Spielman and I do a segment called “Pop or Drop.” In its simplest form: Draft-eligible players who ball out from the previous weekend’s games usually find their way onto our “Pop” list, while players who don’t live up to the hype find their way onto the “Drop” list. 

To be clear, hearing your name called is neither a season-long endorsement nor an indictment; it’s just a shortcut to grade their efforts, make a note and then reevaluate them throughout the season and, of course, in the months leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. 

With that in mind, and with Week 5 upon us, I thought it made sense to Pop or Drop it up in this space, looking back over the first month of the college football season. Who impressed? Who has some work to live up to the preseason hype? 

Let’s take a look.

Poppin’ 

Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Ward, who transferred from Washington State, and before that, transferred from Incarnate Word, gets better each season. At times, yes, he plays what Rick might describe as “backyard ball,” but he continues to get better inside the pocket and has shown improvement at playing on time, too. 

(This is where I point out that Caleb Williams, who spent much of the 2023 season running for his life behind a suspect USC offensive line, raised concerns about his ability to play on time in the NFL. Hero ball is great when you’re the best athlete on the field; less so if you’re middle-of-the-pack athletically and trying to run away from 6-5, 265-pound defensive ends who all run 4.55. Here’s the thing: When Williams has played on time this season, as a rookie, he has been good. When he holds the ball and plays out of structure … not so much:

The overarching point: Ward’s out-of-structure talents are obvious, fun and oftentimes lead to big plays. But it’s not sustainable in the NFL, so the more we see him play in structure, the better for…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2025-nfl-draft-risers-and-fallers-cam-ward-kyle-mccord-impressing-early-in-2024-season/

Author : Ryan Wilson

Publish date : 2024-09-26 12:00:38

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