Preseason hype is always precarious, but USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams already appears to be worth it. He’s the defending Heisman winner, one of the most dynamic passers in the nation, and he’s fielding very lofty NFL Draft comparisons from those who’ve seen him in person.
Caleb Williams Draws Impressive Comparison From Former Stanford Coach
As early as his freshman days at Oklahoma, onlookers already knew Williams was the real deal. He lofted up 1,912 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just four interceptions at almost 10 yards per attempt before following his head coach Lincoln Riley to USC. With the Trojans, Williams only reached greater heights.
Last season, Williams completed 333 of 500 attempts for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while adding 382 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. His efforts won him the Heisman Trophy — given annually to the best player in all of college football. But more than that, they’ve also earned him early appeal as a potential No. 1 overall pick.
It isn’t just Williams’ production that makes him so alluring. It’s his unique and unpredictable play style that’s so hard to emulate and just as hard to defend against. Few passers have the athleticism, creative feel, arm elasticity, and off-platform ease that Williams has.
Those traits, in particular, have caused some evaluators to draw parallels from Williams to two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes. One coach who’s played against Williams before, however, has a different — but equally flattering — stance, integrating his abilities with another talented NFL passer.
David Shaw Sees Patrick Mahomes and Andrew Luck in Caleb Williams
Joining Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks on the Move the Sticks NFL Draft Podcast this past week, former Stanford head coach David Shaw talked at length about Williams, whom he played against last season when the Cardinal took on the Trojans in September.
The result of that matchup? A 41-28 win for USC, in which Williams completed 20 of 27 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. It’s safe to say Williams made an impression on Shaw. The former head coach spoke glowingly of Williams’ abilities, putting him in esteemed company as a prospect.
“There’s only one 10 out of 10 that I’ve seen, and that’s Andrew Luck,” Shaw said. “When Trevor Lawrence came out, I thought he was the best since Andrew. Caleb Williams is the best since Andrew.”
Shaw cited Williams’ improvisational skill as special and put Williams in the same tier as Mahomes in that department. He also hearkened back to a memory of Luck, where the Stanford QB was practicing his off-platform throwing ability.
“When Andrew [Luck] used to come back and work out at Stanford, there was one time we were working out there, and he was rolling out to the left, working on what he called ‘disassociation’ — disassociating the top half of his body from the bottom half to make these throws with his hips twisting, and put the ball on the money every single time.”
Shaw’s point was that while quarterbacks can practice torquing their hips off-platform and disassociating their hips on the move, some passers naturally have more flexibility and more control in those situations. That’s a trait that’s distinguished Mahomes in his time as an NFL QB, and it’s something Williams has as well.
Going further, Shaw imparted some of his wisdom from his NFL days when he was a position coach for the Baltimore Ravens. In 2004 and 2005, Shaw played against Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who showed him how important play strength can be for quarterbacks as well.
“He’s got Luck’s accuracy, but he’s got the build of Jalen Hurts,” Shaw expanded on the 6’1″, 220-pound Williams’ skill set. “Just getting a guy to the quarterback means nothing. [Williams] is either going to [break tackles] or he’s going to make the guy miss and run for 40 yards. He can mitigate the issues with the entire offense.”
As the Excitement Builds, Is Williams as Good as Advertised?
The praise for Williams is reaching near “untouchable” territory — a territory often reserved for some of the best prospects. Lawrence was, at times, untouchable during the 2021 NFL Draft cycle, and all the way back in 2012, Luck was viewed by many as a can’t-miss prospect.
Dealing in absolutes like that is dangerous, as there are many cautionary tales that dot the NFL Draft’s history.
Williams, for all of his strengths, is by no means a perfect prospect. One area in particular where he can improve is taking what’s given from the defense and not creating unnecessary chaos. Shaw himself acknowledged that Williams does take too many chances at times.
That said, QB evaluation is just as much about finding the rare, unteachable traits as it is about nitpicking operational qualities. And as Shaw says, when it comes to Williams, both the uncommon physical and mental traits are present.
“What I love most about him — and what the great ones all have — he plays the game with a sense of calm. He knows he’s better than you.”
Despite all this, the race for the 2024 NFL Draft QB1 mantle will be closer than the consensus opinion implies. Across the country in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, there’s another uncommonly talented QB in Drake Maye, who has similarly enticing athleticism and arm talent.
But Williams is the early favorite for a reason: He makes the difficult plays look far too easy.