Kansas City Chiefs’ superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is THE player that opposing franchises are trying to emulate when they select a QB in the NFL draft.

A talented, hardworking, clutch leader of men who can make all the throws on the field and say all the right things off it. Apparently, the Tennessee Titans have a clear shot at developing the next Mahomes-like talent.

As a player at least, former NFL DB turned ESPN analyst Louis Riddick believes expected No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward is a lot like Mahomes.

“He reminds me of Patrick. He reminds me of Mahomes,” Riddick boldly stated on ESPN’s NFL Live on April 9.

“He reminds me of Mahomes.” 👀

@LRiddickESPN believes Cam Ward’s play style compares to Patrick Mahomes.

“With how he can be unconventional, throw the football from all different kinds of weird angles, and then just put a bunch of horsepower on it when he needs to,” he explained. Adding: “Now, to me, if someone was telling me — hey, that’s maybe what you’re getting — I’d be pretty damn excited.”

Riddick concluded that he may not be right, but he’s willing to “bet” that Ward will have a similar type of impact on the Titans as Mahomes had on the Chiefs.

If Titans Select Cam Ward, It Would Signal That Ex-Chiefs Front Office Exec Mike Borgonzi Might Agree With Patrick Mahomes Comp

There’s another KC connection down in Tennessee, and that’s former Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi.

As most fans are probably aware, Borgonzi left for the Titans general manager position this offseason. Upon arriving, he practically declared that Tennessee would be open for business atop the draft — hinting that they would be willing to trade out of No. 1 for the right price.

Although this initial stance made headlines around the NFL, the Titans’ actions from that point on have all-but confirmed that they won’t pass up the opportunity to select Ward.

Tennessee brought in relatively no real QB competition for Will Levis in free agency, outside of journeymen backups Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle, and they recently canceled scheduled pre-draft visits with Colorado prospects Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

In other words, if Borgonzi doesn’t pick Ward at this point, some might begin to question if he’s suited for his new title.

Assuming the Titans do make Ward the No. 1 pick in the draft, that would be as clear a signal as any that Borgonzi agrees with Riddick.

That’s not to say Borgonzi thinks the Miami product is a carbon copy of Mahomes just because they’re drafting him, but the ex-Chiefs front office executive did note that KC’s two-time MVP will act as a sort of barometer as he evaluates this quarterback class.

Not just on the field, but off it too. And if Borgonzi ties his GM career to Ward, that tells you the dynamic young signal-caller checked a lot of the same boxes that Mahomes once did in 2017.

Cam Ward Could Turn Titans Into Next AFC Powerhouse for Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs to Contend With
As much as Chiefs Kingdom wants to see Borgonzi do well in Tennessee, Ward developing into the next Mahomes does nothing but create more competition.

And the Titans are obviously inside the AFC conference.

Outside of Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy, Jayden Daniels and maybe Jordan Love, a lot of the younger franchise QBs have developed inside the AFC in recent years.

With the NFC made up of stalwarts and veterans who have had long NFL careers already.

Now, that could change a bit if recent top picks like Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, Bryce Young and Michael Penix all take big leaps in their development in 2025, but for now, the AFC tends to roster more of the superstar quarterbacks that are still in their prime.

Granted, that hasn’t really slowed down the Chiefs to this point, and head coach Andy Reid loves competition. But it’s still something to think about.

If Ward turns into the next superstar quarterback, the Titans will become a problem. Especially with a smart personnel man in Borgonzi reshaping the roster.