Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NFL Analyst Louis Riddick Can’t Wait To See This Rookie in Actual Games Following Impressive Skills at OTAs

Cam Ward could be the next big star in the NFL!

Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL draft took place more than a month ago, and all the rookies have had plenty of time to get accustomed to their new environment. Mandatory minicamps and OTAs are underway as teams have begun work ahead of the upcoming season in September.

This is the first time rookies get a chance to show their potential and make a good first impression on their teammates and coaches. In Tennessee, this year’s number one overall pick, Cam Ward, seems to be doing just that, winning the hearts of everyone on the Titans roster and staff.

Louis Riddick Excited To See Ward in Action

Titans head coach Brian Callahan is mighty impressed with his rookie signal caller’s ability to multitask and perform exceptionally despite so much happening at the same time. During his press conference on the second day of OTAs, Callahan spoke to the media and praised Ward for his special ability to listen to plays, learn a new system, all the while talking to his teammates.

“It was pretty remarkable to see all the things going on and how much he’s talking, but like his brain is still like with me, I guess is the best way to put it. Like when I’m calling him a play, it’s all he’s doing, but he’s listening to everything I’m telling him, and he enters right into the huddle, and he calls a play and doesn’t script the play call, and I thought that was actually kind of remarkable.”

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Echoing similar sentiments, former NFL safety and current analyst, Louis Riddick, sees him as the face of the franchise and has called him a true alpha.

“He’s a true alpha. This is not a surprise, the guy is built to be the face of a franchise he’s got a ton of mental horsepower where the coach is giving him instructions, he’s a rookie, he’s given him instructions about a whole new offense, everything that he has to do, all the responsibility that he has, while at the same time, the defense is chirping at him, he’s chirping back, while listening to what Brian Callahan is telling him and then going out there and executing, and throwing the football.”

Riddick followed this up by mentioning how he is looking forward to seeing Ward perform in actual games from September, when the new season starts. Further, the former safety was also appalled by the fact that Ward didn’t receive the same level of hype as some of the other quarterbacks who have been top picks in recent years, despite his amazing skill set.

“The guy is built the way you want. I cannot wait to see him actually play real games. The dude’s special; he’s probably one of the least hyped number one overall picks that we’ve talked about in a long time. I think that’s going to change come September.”

"He's probably one of the least hyped No. 1 overall picks that we've talked about in a long time."@LRiddickESPN sees big potential for Cam Ward in the Titans' offense 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WOPZYTp0op
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 11, 2025

Why the Spotlight Was Not on Ward Despite Going Number 1 Overall?

In about three months’ time, Ward will take the field and begin his professional career as a quarterback in the NFL, where he will get the opportunity to show his talent at the highest level of the sport. But, while he was more or less always projected to go number one overall, there have been several doubters about his true ability.

In reference to what Riddick said about Ward not receiving the hype he should have, there could be a couple of factors at play here. First and foremost, the general opinion of this year’s draft was that it was a weak one for quarterbacks, with only Ward and Shedeur Sanders seen as potential top picks. As such, attention was focused on other positions, like the pass rushers and running backs, this year.

Cam Ward read the blitz, made a check at the line, got Ridley one-on-one and delivered this bomb perfectly.

Impressive for anyone. Especially for a rookie in his first minicamp.

One of the best plays I’ve seen from him so far. pic.twitter.com/hdbterQJPU
— Will Boling (@will_boling) June 12, 2025

Secondly, Ward was also overshadowed by the presence of Sanders in this year’s draft. Sanders was at the center of attention more so because of his father, Deion Sanders, and that may have taken much of the glaze from Ward. Even during the draft, the focus and main storylines revolved around Sanders and his unprecedented slide all the way to the fifth round.

Whatever may be the case, Ward has been operating silently in the background, going about his business and impressing the people that matter the most. Success in the NFL seems almost certain for Ward, judging by the expert opinions, but the upcoming few months will give us an even better idea of what he can offer the league.

Cam Ward

NFL

Tennessee Titans

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!