NASHVILLE – Cam Ward had been a Titan for less than 48 hours, and already he was campaigning for players – future teammates – during the NFL Draft.

When others were picked by the Titans, Ward was reaching out to congratulate them as they were talking with team officials about being selected.

“That’s the type of teammate Cam is,” Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi said. “And that’s everything we heard about him through the process, is he’s one of the guys. I think that’s why a lot of his teammates gravitate toward him. He was tweeting at them right after that, but that just shows you his leadership, his team-ability.”

With a smile, Borgonzi said Ward was actually texting him during the draft about the picks.

“He’s on it pretty quick,” Borgonzi said of Ward.

On his first day in Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park after being selected by the Titans, Ward made the rounds inside the building.

At one point, he crossed paths with veterans Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard, and spent time talking with them.

Ward, known for his leadership qualities, has openly talked about how he wants to be a leader, even as a rookie.

Borgonzi said Ward has great leadership traits. Even as a 22-year-old (Ward turns 23 next month), Ward won’t be bashful on a team with players much older than him.

“A lot of that, we talked with him before the draft, he has great awareness in terms of where he is at,” Borgonzi said of Ward. “He knows that stepping into an NFL locker room, he’s going to have to earn the respect of everybody in that locker room. First, building relationships with everyone on the team is a big part of it.

“But that’s one of the special things about him that we kind of learned through the process, that he has great awareness. And I think he knows he has to earn the respect of everyone here.”