Cam Newton recently said working out at the NFL Scouting Combine, “isn’t the popular thing to do.” His comment came as praise for Travis Hunter, who is participating in the event’s drills later this week. Unfortunately, he may not be able to applaud college football’s top quarterback prospects for doing the same.
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Shedeur Sanders has already announced he won’t be throwing at the Combine. Cam Ward, meanwhile, has yet to decide if he’ll flex his arm cannon in Indianapolis. This leaves some intriguing middle-round options as the week’s biggest passing attractions. And that, to Rich Eisen, is disappointing.
Eisen spoke about Sanders’ and Ward’s Combine participation – or lack thereof – on Monday’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show. The NFL Network host knows Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye all sat out of the Combine drills last season. However, he believes Ward and Sanders aren’t as secure in their NFL Draft standing as those three players.
“Last year, those guys were the clear top two picks… I don’t know if Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the clear top two picks of this year’s draft, certainly since we’re wondering what the Tennessee Titans… [and] Cleveland Browns are going to do… it could be Abdul Carter first overall… [and] is Shedeur even going to be the first Colorado Buffalo off the board?” – Rich Eisen
There are elder statesmen NFL quarterbacks, like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford, that could be signed or traded this offseason. The teams atop the league’s draft board could elect to operate with one of them in the short term. If they do, the limited potential destinations for Ward and Sanders could further dwindle.
Rich Eisen discusses C.J. Stroud’s “best workout” at Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is no longer seen as a place to separate yourself from the pack. It’s much easier for players with early first-round projections to hurt their stock with their performance than improve it. That said, if you’re confident in your abilities, you theoretically shouldn’t have any worries about how you’ll look.
C.J. Stroud, like Ward and Sanders now, knew he was going to be a top-10 selection. Despite this, he fought to propel himself above Bryce Young as the top quarterback in the 2023 class. In the process, he demonstrated the intangibles that have helped the Houston Texans win the AFC South – and a playoff game – in each of his first two seasons. Eisen wishes Ward and Sanders had a similar competitive fire.
“C.J. Stroud’s workout… best workout I’ve seen [from] a quarterback in years… I don’t know if that was the difference between him being drafted second overall or later… it’s a bummer that they’re not doing it… I’m just wondering if there’s any old-school mentality at all… this is the way to compete.” – Rich Eisen
Ward has quickly become the almost-consensus QB1 of the 2025 class. Sanders could have attempted to bolster his case at the Combine. Instead, he’s content with letting things unfold on their own. Young did the same and went No. 1 overall. Perhaps one of them will be the first pick as well. We’ll find out when the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off on Apr. 24.
