INDIANAPOLIS (AP) 鈥 Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward stood one podium apart Friday, each making his case to be the first quarterback selected in this year鈥檚 NFL draft at the same moment.
They couldn鈥檛 have taken more different approaches.
Sanders arrived in a sparkly necklace and spoke with the same brash confidence that defined the career of his longtime coach and Hall of Fame father, Deion Sanders. Ward delivered a blue-collar message, describing his six-year journey from overlooked Texas prep player to Heisman Trophy finalist and now, perhaps, to being the first pick in April.
And yet, managed to cast aside the playful, public verbal barbs to show a mutual respect on one of the most crucial stages in football.
鈥淲e鈥檒l both end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the league,鈥 Ward said. 鈥淲e play around, we joke around with it (who will be first), but it really doesn鈥檛 mean nothing. At the end of the day, you鈥檝e got to show you can improve each and every Sunday. You can鈥檛 just do it one year. You鈥檝e got to do it each and every time you step on the field.鈥
League scouts will have to wait until the players' college pro days to get an actual glimpse of this year鈥檚 top two quarterbacks because Ward and Sanders reiterated they would not work out Saturday with the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers in Indianapolis.
Instead, these two added their names to a long list of top prospects on familiar turf while throwing to college teammates. The list includes Caleb Williams, Bryce Young and Joe Burrow, all quarterbacks who were chosen No. 1 overall.
There鈥檚 no telling yet if Ward or Sanders will be next, but each has plenty of tape for scouts to pore through since both started 50 or more games while playing at multiple colleges.
Sanders and his father used their flashy style to help revive programs at Jackson State in Mississippi before repeating the feat at Colorado. as he ascended from FCS star at Incarnate Word in Texas to became Washington State鈥檚 starter before nearly leading Miami to the CFP playoffs.
This week, though, Sanders and Ward seem virtually inseparable as they stroll through the Indianapolis Convention Center hallways, part of the same quarterback group as they ponder their futures and how to sell themselves to coaches and general managers.
鈥淚f you ain鈥檛 trying to change the franchise then don鈥檛 get me,鈥 Sanders said. 鈥淵ou should know history repeats itself over and over and over, and I鈥檝e done it over and over and over, so there should be no question why an NFL franchise should pick me.鈥
While there鈥檚 little debate over their productivity or penchant for winning, there are plenty of questions to answer.
At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Sanders possesses good size, a solid arm, mobility in the pocket and the kind of strong personality needed from a locker room leader. Still, he must show the throws he made into tight windows in college will not become interceptions in the NFL and he needs to eliminate his propensity for taking sacks. Others wonder if his father鈥檚 influence might become a problem.
Sanders shrugged off any such doubts.
鈥淵ou think I鈥檓 worried about what critics say or what people got to say? You know who my dad is? They hated on him, too,鈥 Shedeur Sanders said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 almost normal. Without people hating, it鈥檚 not normal for us. We like the adversity. We like everything that comes with the name. That鈥檚 why we are who we are.鈥
Ward is slightly bigger at 6-2, 223 pounds, has a stronger arm, a quicker release and throws with more velocity. But he can struggle with accuracy and his ability to read coverages.
And while he鈥檚 more reserved as a public speaker than Sanders, those who have played with Ward insist he has a different personality in the locker room.
鈥淓verybody sees what he does on the field, his confidence and everything, but the biggest thing I would say is the type of leader he is,鈥 former Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo said Thursday. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not afraid to hold people accountable. He wants to win, and he holds the team to a certain standard and he doesn鈥檛 care how he鈥檚 going to get his point across.鈥
But with no clear-cut favorite entering or leaving combine week, the debate over who鈥檚 better will only continue to rage as they hold campus workouts and fly around the country for team interviews.
They just believe one thing: Both will be successful, wherever they land.
鈥淚 just think the work me and him are willing to put in, the relationship we have to constantly compete each and every day to better our craft and ourselves,鈥 Ward said, 鈥淚 just think it鈥檚 going to end up paying off for us in the long run.鈥
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