College: Northern Illinois
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 192
| Year | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | INT |
| 2010 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 100 | 2.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 | 104 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2013 | 95 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
Positives
Coverage: Ward has shown the ability to play the deep, over the top safety while at Northern Illinois. He has the range to cover a large area deep and the speed and intelligence to get to the right spot. On top of that, Ward has shown the ability to drop into the slot and cover receivers and tight ends. Ward gives great versatility with what you can do with him and has shown to be very good in both man and zone coverage.
Ball Skills: Ward has shown throughout the end of his college career that he is a ball hawk at the safety position. Ward is able to read the quarterback, locate where the ball is going and get there to make a play on it. He has come up with some amazing interceptions while at Northern Illinois. He plays the ball extremely well in the air and takes great angles to get there. He will drop an occasional pass her should intercept, but he has decent hands for a safety.
Tackling: Ward has become a better tackler as his time in college has gone on. Ward is a hard hitter, though rarely going high. Ward tackles low, avoiding penalties and wraps his man up making the sure tackle. He shows good form and technique, but with his size it can be a slight worry that it might lead to a few broken tackles from bigger backs in the NFL.
Negatives
Size: Ward is on the smaller side for a safety and it’s one of the few flaws that he has. He is the size of a lot of corners and it will make it tough for him to match up with big tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham. Also, his small size has to make you wonder how he will do in run support against bigger backs like Marshawn Lynch.
NFL Comparison
Tyrann Mathieu: This isn’t a perfect comparison because I don’t think he has quite the playmaking ability Mathieu does, but there are very few that do. However, both are undersized safeties who can also drop down into the slot and cover receivers. Ward is always in the right spot around the ball like Mathieu is. Neither of them are amazing athletes, but both have top notch instincts and take great angles which allow them to be wherever the ball is.
Draft Outlook
There is a possibility that with a strong combine and pro day Ward could end up as a late first round pick. I think the more likely scenario is that Ward goes somewhere between early and mid-second round. He has a lot of talent, but size will be an issue to some teams. There are a lot of good fits out there for him in the middle of the second round though.
Best Fit
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are wanting a free safety to pair with Matt Elam who is more of an in the box safety. Ward gives them that free safety who has range to give over the top help as well as drop into the slot and cover. It allows the Ravens to put Elam in the box more where he is more effective and can make more plays.