Every NFL Draft season, the media tries to slap a label on every young QB. They want the ‘next Mahomes,’ the ‘next Hurts,’ the ‘next Allen‘—like these guys are just copy-paste templates. But sometimes, a player comes along who refuses to fit into a box. Enter Cam Ward.

At Pro Football Talk during the NFL Scouting Combine, one of the hosts tried to say that Ward modeled his game after Jalen Hurts. Cam? He shut that down immediately. “I didn’t say that,” he clapped back, making sure everyone knew they were putting words in his mouth. He explained that he was asked who his top five favorite QBs were, then he mentioned Jalen Hurts along with Jayden Daniels, Mahomes, Lamar, and Josh Allen—but that didn’t mean he was tryna be Hurts 2.0. Such a Classic case of the media running with a half-baked take, and Ward wasn’t about it.

If anything, he’s giving way more Josh Allen vibes—big arm, mobile, can make something outta nothing. Dude balled out at Miami last season, dropping 4,313 passing yards and 39 TDs like it was nothing. With the draft coming up, teams like the Giants are all eyes on him, analyzing every throw, every decision. But Ward? He’s just chillin’, locked in, letting his game do the talking.

This whole situation proves one thing: Cam Ward is him. He’s not out here trying to be a carbon copy of anyone. He’s been perfecting his own style since college, and he’s not about to let the media box him in. Comparisons are cool and all, but he’s not living in anyone’s shadow. With his pro day on the way, which had a little twist on its own. Ward’s ready to remind everyone why he’s one of the top quarterbacks in this draft. The media can keep pushing their comps, but at the end of the day, he’s not the next Hurts, Mahomes, or Allen. He’s Cam Ward—and the league better buckle up.

Cam Ward pulls a Shedeur Sanders’ move

Cam Ward isn’t about to let the NFL Combine mess with his draft stock. Just like Shedeur Sanders, he’s skipping the on-field workouts in Indy and saving his throwing session for Miami’s pro day. It’s a total alpha move—top QBs know they don’t need to prove anything in a chaotic, rushed environment. Instead, they bet on themselves and show out on their own terms.

Ward isn’t stressing about it either. “From playing Wing-T to traveling to Pullman, Washington, all the way to Miami… you never know where football is going to take you and you never know what God has in store for you,” he said. Instead of running a 40 or throwing to random receivers, he’s focusing on what really matters—meeting with teams, acing interviews, and making sure the NFL knows he’s him. As for his playstyle? “I’m willing to do anything that it takes to win a football game—whether it be a gunslinger all day or I can hand the ball off a couple of times.” Translation: dude’s built different.

Both Ward and Sanders made it official—they won’t be hitting the field with the other QBs, running backs, and receivers in Indy. That means scouts gotta wait until their pro days to see them throw. And honestly? It’s the smart move. Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, and Joe Burrow all pulled the same stunt before going No. 1 overall. Why risk an off-day when you can throw to your own guys, in your own setup, and make sure everything’s crisp?

And don’t get it twisted—Ward isn’t caught up in the “who goes first” debate. “We’ll both end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” he said about himself and Sanders. “We play around, we joke around with it (who will be first), but it really doesn’t mean nothing. At the end of the day, you’ve got to show you can improve each and every Sunday. You can’t just do it one year. You’ve got to do it each and every time you step on the field.” Draft order is just numbers—what really matters is who keeps winning in the league.

By skipping the combine workouts, Ward is making one thing clear—he’s locked in, and he’s playing chess while everyone else plays checkers. With teams like the Giants keeping tabs, the league’s about to see exactly what this dude can do.