Tyler Stearns |
Caleb Williams has been one of the more hated QB prospects coming out of college in the last few years. The Media have depicted the painting of his nails, his postgame antics, and other small things he has done as negatives for his draft stock. Others have noted that his play took a significant dip this year. Many have even started saying that he isn’t a generational prospect and will be a major draft bust.
All of this criticism comes from the fact that USC had a 7-5 record this year. In sports, we build up our heroes when they are winning and tear them down when they lose. That same phenomenon is true with Williams. His dominance at the college level has been shadowed by USC’s horrible defense that gave up over 40 points per game in the final six games of the 2023 regular season. Last year, he led the Trojans to an 11-1 regular season record and a birth in the PAC-12 Championship. USC lost due to Williams injuring his hamstring and the defense’s struggles and the narrative flipped on Williams. Before, he was a winner, the best QB in CFB, and the best QB prospect ever. Then, he turned into a villain, a bad QB, and a ‘bust’. All Caleb has done with his platform is use it for good. He is an advocate for increased female involvement in sports and overall society. He is a big supporter of mental health. He uses his NIL deals to support teammates with accessories and other commodities.
As for his play, many aspects of his game have come under scrutiny. Most notable is his play in structure. Caleb is great out of structure, his ability to escape the pocket, evade pressure, and make a throw downfield with great strength and accuracy is his greatest ability. However, some argue that Caleb often stays with his first read even if it isn’t open rather than looking to his second or third target. He tries to fit the ball in too tight of windows and doesn’t necessarily love to check the ball down. Some say that he leaves the pocket too quickly or stays in it too long. Many even say that he was only good because he benefited from Lincoln Riley’s dynamic offense that favors the QB. These criticisms are unfair and untrue. Caleb’s escapability is his best attribute, but his film suggests that he prefers to stay in the pocket and make throws in structure. He moves his eyes constantly and is always looking at different receivers. His receivers this year created significantly less separation than last year which is part of the reason why he had to throw the ball away or stick with his first read most of the time. His development in Riley’s offense will not hurt him in the NFL, as we have seen Riley’s QBs find success in the NFL in different systems.
Willliams had a bad offensive line this year and a worse defense. The only way he was able to win games was if he could score every drive. He did a lot of that, but it is an extremely difficult task to ask a QB to score every drive just to have a chance to win. Dan Orlovsky put it best on the Dan Patrick show, stating that Caleb had a heavy burden because if he didn’t score the opposing team would “go down and score in 90 seconds.”
The false narrative around Caleb Williams stems solely from the lack of success USC had along with minor body-language issues. However, if you take a deeper look at his tape, his leadership, and the ‘eye test’, you will notice that he is generational and will be a great QB in the NFL.
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