• Steve Muench, Scouts Inc.Dec 26, 2024, 06:55 AM ET

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The 2024 college football bowl season has already brought excitement, upsets and plenty of good performances by top NFL draft prospects. And now we’ll see three of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 class — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Miami’s Cam Ward and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe — in their non-College Football Playoff bowl games over the next week.

On Saturday, Sanders — the top signal-caller on my board — will try to lead Colorado past BYU to give the Buffaloes their first bowl win in 20 years. Ward will face Iowa State later that day. And then on New Year’s Eve, Milroe will try to raise his Day 2 draft grade with a big performance against Michigan’s stout defense. It’s one last chance to put up good tape and answer lingering questions about their skill sets for NFL front offices.

What can they each do to improve their draft stocks? What are scouts looking to see in their final games of the season? Let’s answer big questions about what each quarterback needs to show in his bowl game appearance and explore what it means for each player’s scouting report.

Cam Ward, Miami

Pop-Tarts Bowl: vs. Iowa State, Dec. 28, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Ward’s Scouts Inc. ranking: No. 24

Can Ward balance his improvisational playmaking with sound decisions and avoid putting the ball in harm’s way?

Ward led Miami to come-from-behind wins against Cal, Louisville and Duke. He has completed a career-high 67.4% of his passes and improved his completion rate under pressure to 50.4% (28th in the FBS). And he has found success this season extending plays, altering his release point and ripping the ball into tight windows. At 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds, he can make things happen off schedule.

Just look at his 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jacolby George in the season opener against Florida. Or watch his flip to tight end Riley Williams for 26 yards, when Miami was rallying late against Virginia Tech. Ward can improvise when his team needs him to make a play.

Cam Ward makes Heisman-like play to avoid sack and somehow set up Miami’s TD

Miami’s Cam Ward evades two sacks and flips the ball to Riley Williams for a 26-yard gain.

But as exciting and fun as those plays are to watch, holding on to the ball too long and taking chances can lead to turnovers and penalties. Ward’s 36-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio doesn’t raise any red flags, but when you turn on the tape, you see his statistics can be a little misleading. Ward often takes unnecessary risks. He tried to make a similar play to the Virginia Tech flip against Wake Forest and instead tossed the ball directly to a defender.

Scouts want to see sound risk-reward management against Iowa State, who has 14 interceptions this season (tied for sixth-most in the nation). Ward has to get the ball out on time. He has thrown darts from inside the pocket all season, and his 74-yard touchdown pass to tight end Elijah Arroyo against Georgia Tech is one of the best throws on his film. Sure, the ball traveled only about 13 yards, but it came out quickly and hit Arroyo in stride. Let’s see more of that against the Cyclones.

Ward needs to work on balancing playmaking opportunities with taking what the defense gives him and making the easier play when it’s there. The Cyclones aren’t a great tackling team — they rank 106th in tackle percentage (82%), missing 127 tackles this season — so getting the ball out and putting receivers in position to produce after the catch should benefit him.