Cam Ward, first overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, is used to hearing the chatter, but has become equally adept at tuning it out as he seeks to continue turning his career into something few believed it could become.

Coming out of high school, Ward was a zero-star recruit with a single scholarship offer — from University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio — but believed enough in his ability to transcend the seemingly negative views and, ultimately, become the consensus number one pick when the Tennessee Titans were on the clock in Green Bay last Thursday (24^th April).

“I thought I was their guy all along,” he told the assembled media waiting to hear his first words as a Titan, “but I had bigger aspirations than being just a draft pick. I just think I just wanted it more. I have a true love for the game of football and I believe in God — if you’ve got hard work and God on your side, a lot of stuff can take care of itself.

“I let the tape do a lot of talking, but I think once [the Titans] got to finally meet me face to face and watch film with me, it just helped my case. Coach [Brian] Callahan is a great head coach, a great offensive mind and he’s had a lot success with previous quarterbacks. I’m hoping I can be his next project.

“[Getting the call from Tennessee] was real special to me, but I think it was more special to my parents just because of what they put in, financially and time-wise, to give me the everywhere I need to be. But it’s a moment you don’t take for granted.”

“I think he was a bit overcome by the moment,” coach Callahan countered. “Even though it’s something that probably wasn’t a huge surprise, I think that it’s just a big moment. Number one pick in the NFL Draft; you have your family there; something he’s worked his entire life to be at… All I told him at the moment was just to enjoy every second of it — and enjoy it for your family. It’s a culmination of a lot of work to get to this point.

“And then I just reminded him there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Ward, who moved from Incarnate Word to Washington State and then, after withdrawing from 2024 NFL Draft process, established himself as a potential #1 pick at the University of Miami, is no stranger to hard work.

“I got a chance to play with three good teams, three different locker rooms, and I think it’s helped get me to this point in my career,” he explained. “Those three locker rooms helped me be the first overall pick, and I’m forever grateful for those guys, and those are relationships that will last a lifetime.

“I’ve always believed [I’d be on the NFL Draft stage], just the little things that my quarterback coaches and my dad would keep telling me: Just keep going — even when the times were rough. What I expect out of my career is to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever put it on — that’s the aspiration that I had on myself since I was a kid. And I think, as long as I’m willing to work hard, be a good team-mate and keep believing in God, it’ll work out for me. I’ve lost a lot and won a lot at the same time. And I’ve learned how to handle adversity in the right way. You never get too high, you never get too low. I just think, in every situation, you’ve got to be able to learn from it. At the end of the day, it’s all about [whether] you’re getting better one day at a time. The only thing that matters to me is my locker room and the coaching staff and the support staff in the building. We plan on changing things around, but it only starts one day at a time. We just got to keep working.”

After admitting that the toughest task he faces might be learning the names of his new Titans colleagues, Ward insisted that his focus is firmly on the future and not on the noise that accompanied his rise up draft boards as the football world dissected his ability.

“It’s all about creating relationships with your team-mates,” he explained. “If you want to go and try to get on somebody and you’re not doing the work, it’s not going to happen overnight, so I’m big on actually knowing the guys in the locker room instead of just playing football with them.

“I really don’t care what the outside world sees me as. The only thing I care about is my team-mates in the building. Those are the only things that really matter to me. At the end of the day, I just want to win football games.”