Ward only stayed in the 2024 draft cycle for 13 days before pulling out to transfer to Miami, a decision that led to the Hurricanes' first 10-win season since 2017 and launched Ward from fringe Day 2 prospect to the first player off the board Thursday night.

The name Cam Ward has very different meanings in North Carolina's Research Triangle and the rest of the country. In Raleigh, N.C., he is forever the nerve center of the Carolina Hurricanes' 2006 Stanley Cup team—the rookie who backstopped his squad to the promised land.