Ward attended Edward W. Bok Technical High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He began as a wide receiver and safety, before being converted into a stand up defensive end as a junior.

Although analysts had said he has above average athletic ability for a man his size, can play both end spots in a 3–4 or 4–3, is large enough to play defensive tackle in 4–3, and could become a quality pass rusher in the NFL, he was also seen as a developmental project who needs improvement in his power, and has inconsistent balance in contact.

Representatives and scouts from all 32 teams showed up at Illinois' Pro Day, which was run by head coach Lovie Smith.

Defensive line coaches from the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Houston Texans came especially to watch Ward perform.

[10] Ward was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round (44th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft, after dropping because he had a knee injury that was expected to require arthroscopic surgery.

[citation needed] Ward finished his rookie season with 30 tackles in 16 games, 13 of which were starts.

[13] On July 6, 2017, it was revealed that he had surgery on his left foot after injuring it during a workout, putting him out of action until mid-August.

[15] On April 28, 2018, the Raiders traded Ward to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for wide receiver Ryan Switzer.

He has said that his name, Jihad, which is popular where he was raised in Philadelphia, has been misunderstood due to the negative connotations associated with the term, which has been used to describe Islamic violence against non-Muslims.