Quarterback Cam Ward is expected to be one of the first names off the board in April’s NFL Draft. That made one of his NFL Combine interviews such a huge surprise.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that the Minnesota Vikings interviewed Ward during the combine. That is in spite of the fact that the Vikings hold the No. 24 pick in the draft, and Ward will be long gone by then.
There are certainly some reasons why the meeting might make sense for both sides. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is known for being great with quarterbacks, and Ward may have wanted the opportunity to pick his brain a bit.
For the Vikings, this may be a long-term relationship-building exercise, as there is no real indication that the team is going to try to pull off a massive move to trade up in the draft.
The Vikings just selected JJ McCarthy tenth overall a year ago, and still view him as a franchise quarterback. However, he also lost his entire rookie year to a knee injury, though that does not seem to have soured the team on him.
Ward, on the other hand, is highly likely to be the first quarterback off the board next month. The Vikings will not have a shot at him barring a massive change. Despite that, both he and the Vikings decided this meeting was worthwhile.
Ward was outstanding in his first and only season for Miami. He threw for 4,313 yards and led the nation with 39 touchdown passes.
