Saturday’s USC Trojans vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish matchup is one of the best college football games today. While many are focused on another classic in this rivalry, NFL scouts and general managers will be monitoring quarterback Caleb Williams closely.
In most years, North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye would be the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class. He’s viewed as a franchise-changing talent who can be a star at the next level. However, NFL talent evaluators are even higher on Williams.
- Caleb Williams stats 2023:Â 1,822 passing yards, 22-1 TD-INT, 71.7% completion rate, 11.0 yards per attempt, 206. QB rating, 124 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns
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NFL scouts who spoke with ESPN’s draft analyst Matt Miller compared Williams to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. Multiple talent evaluators were particularly fond of the Rodgers’ comparison.
“To me, he’s peak-era Aaron Rodgers. The way he moves in the pocket to create passing windows and then, boom, he’s thrown a no-looker across his body or a deep ball that looked impossible.”
The praise isn’t just just coming from scouts. A former top college football coach raved about the Trojans’ signal-caller raved about Williams. Meanwhile, multiple NFL teams have already scouted Williams enough to classify him as a generational talent that belongs in the conversation with the all-time quarterback prospects.
Unsurprisingly, it’s led to a lot of discussion about Williams’ future in the NFL. While he’s currently the clear-cut choice for the No. 1 overall pick, he could reportedly forego the 2024 NFL Draft and return for his senior year. It’s also possible that Williams declares for the draft but tries to dictate which team drafts him.
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As long as he finished the season healthy, Williams would enter the pre-draft process as the consensus best player with all the fan fare ahead of the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. Until that happens, though, Williams and Lincoln Riley will be trying to lead USC to the College Football Playoff.
