Early years

He played high school football at prep powerhouse De La Salle during their 151 game winning streak. An injury early in his senior year deterred many scouts, leading him to walk-on with the Oregon Ducks.

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
5 ft 10 1⁄2 in	211 lb	30 3⁄4 in	9 1⁄4 in	4.49 s							19 reps

Cleveland Browns

2010

Ward was drafted 38th overall by the Cleveland Browns. He started all 16 games of his rookie season, recording 123 combined tackles and 2 interceptions. Ward gained national recognition for an illegal hit on Bengals receiver Jordan Shipley, where he had a helmet to helmet hit to force the ball out of Shipley's hands. Ward was fined for the hit.

2011

Ward stepped into a larger role in his second season, but injuries held him to only 8 games. He finished the season with 39 tackles, and a sack.

2012

Ward returned to form in 2012, starting 14 games and was quite good in coverage. As an up and coming player, he finished with 68 tackles, a sack, and an interception.

2013

Ward had a breakout season, starting all 16 games and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press. He finished the year with 123 Tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 Interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 10 passes defended.

Denver Broncos

2014

On March 11, 2014, Ward signed with the Denver Broncos on a four-year, $23 million contract. On December 24, he earned a second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl.

2015

Ward had 61 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 6 passes defended in the 2015 NFL season. The Broncos finished with the #1 defense and a 12-4 record. In the Divisional round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ward recorded 4 tackles in a 23-16 victory. In the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, Ward had 6 tackles before having to leave the game with an ankle injury and did not return. The Broncos later went on to win the game 20-18. Ward returned to play in the Broncos 24-10 victory in Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers, where he recorded 7 tackles, a pass defended, a fumble recovery and an interception.

NFL stats

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2010	CLE	16	123	95	28	0.0	1	0	0	2	39	20	23	0	10
2011	CLE	8	39	28	11	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
2012	CLE	14	68	50	18	1.0	3	0	0	1	37	37	37	0	4
2013	CLE	16	112	75	37	1.5	0	1	51	2	57	29	44	1	5
2014	DEN	15	74	60	14	2.0	0	0	0	2	55	28	37	0	6
Career		69	416	308	108	5.5	5	1	0	7	188	27	44	1	28

Key

• GP: games played
• COMB: combined tackles
• TOTAL: total tackles
• AST: assisted tackles
• SACK: sacks
• FF: forced fumbles
• FR: fumble recoveries
• FR YDS: fumble return yards
• INT: interceptions
• IR YDS: interception return yards
• AVG IR: average interception return
• LNG: longest interception return
• TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
• PD: passes defensed

Personal life

Ward is brother of Atlanta Falcons running back Terron Ward and the first cousin of former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]