What prospects, GMs are saying about Williams at the combine

INDIANAPOLIS — The legend of Caleb Williams started early.

The presumptive top pick in the 2024 NFL draft could be the next rookie quarterback sensation to take the NFL by storm. But not so long ago he was the freshman quarterback who took the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference by storm.

The WCAC is generally considered one of the toughest, most competitive high school football conferences in the nation. Williams arrived at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., as a 15-year-old freshman in 2017 and made his school an instant competitor in the conference.

By his sophomore season, Williams was leading Gonzaga to an epic conference title win with a Hail Mary from his own 40-yard line.

Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart went to conference rival Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. Hart was two years older than Williams and matched up against him during Williams’ freshman and sophomore seasons.

“He was always special,” Hart said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “The things you see on Saturdays in college were the things he was doing in high school.”

Williams, of course, went on to win the Heisman Trophy at USC in 2022 and has been considered the top prospect in the 2024 draft class for the past two years. He’s one of the highest-regarded QB prospects since at least Trevor Lawrence in 2021, and maybe even since Andrew Luck in 2012.

Usually the No. 1 overall pick belongs to the worst team in football, but that’s not the case this year. Thanks to last year’s trade with the Carolina Panthers, which involved the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, the Bears hold this year’s top pick.

For the Bears, the conversation remains focused on whether they should select Williams with the top pick or stick with Justin Fields at quarterback. Asked about the comparisons between Williams and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said “there’s pieces” of their games that are similar.

“Obviously, the one that stands out to everyone is just different arm angles,” Poles said this week at the combine. “That’s a unique trait, not a lot of guys can do that.”

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks that, on pure talent, Williams belongs with the best of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory.

“You can put him up there with really any of the guys we’ve had just in terms of arm strength, athleticism, the creativity that he has, the playmaking ability that he has,” Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah noted that Williams is not as polished as some other past prospects, such as Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud, who stepped right into the starting role and won rookie of the year in 2023. Williams likely won’t have the luxury that Mahomes did in 2017 of sitting out and basically redshirting his rookie season.

“In terms of how he kind of plays with the creativity and a little flare, and in all the different types of throws he can make in terms of driving the ball, layering the ball, extending plays, all those things, there are some similarities there [with Mahomes],” Jeremiah said.

The people who understand that best are the ones who have played against Williams. There are plenty of prospects in Indianapolis this week who have faced the presumptive No. 1 pick.

Hart, the Notre Dame cornerback, faced him in high school and in college. The Fighting Irish picked off Williams three times in their win over USC last fall. Those were three of just 14 interceptions that Williams threw over three seasons as a college quarterback.

Hart said that the Irish mixed up their defensive looks against Williams in order to cause confusion. It wasn’t his first time prepping for Williams, of course.

“I kind of knew what he brought to the table,” Hart said. “Obviously, he’s gotten better [since high school] and he’s a magician out there. It’s definitely a hard week of prep.”

Williams is a slippery quarterback. He has a great feel for the pocket and he moves well both inside and outside the pocket. He rushed for 27 touchdowns over his three college seasons. During his Heisman campaign in 2022, he totaled 382 rushing yards and 10 scores.

He will make life hard on edge rushers who have to try to contain him. UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu knows that well. The Bruins beat the Trojans last season after losing a shootout the year prior.

“We didn’t really let him escape the pocket too much,” said Latu, a likely first-round pick. “He made throws because he’s a great quarterback.”

UCLA used a spy against Williams for just that reason. He can scoot through any hole in the defense and take off running. Williams isn’t as fast as Fields, but he’s deceptively quick and he reads the field well.

That’s yet another similarity with Mahomes, who can find ways to keep plays alive and create throwing lanes.

“As soon as you beat that first man, you’ve got to be ready for him to scramble,” Latu said of Williams. “You’ve got to be ready for him to escape the pocket and he does that very well. He’s tough to get down as well.”

That scramble ability challenges the secondary too. Cornerbacks and safeties have to defend receivers for longer and they have to be aware of when the quarterback takes off running.

USC safety Calen Bullock went up against Williams every day in practice. That presented a unique challenge.

“Every single day we went out to the field and we expected the best from each other and we are going compete at a high level,” Bullock said. “Sometimes he’s going to throw touchdowns and he’s going to makes sure I hear about it, make sure he comes and runs to me and celebrate in my face. If I pick him off, I’m going to make sure he hears about it, but every day we made sure that we competed and made each other better.”

Williams is set to take the podium and meet with members of the media on Friday morning. He has not spoken publicly since the conclusion of the 2023 regular season.