Analyst floats wild hypothetical trade for USC QB Caleb Williams
There are no trades in college football, but the new NIL era is putting the value of players in a new light.
Former ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay provided an interesting thought exercise to show how much USC quarterback Caleb Williams is valued over other top prospects when it comes to potentially being the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In this hypothetical scenario, McShay noted he would only consider trading Williams for North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Ohio State star wideout Marvin Harrison Jr.
"[I was thinking] how do I try to put into context how good Caleb Williams is? And for some reason, I started this trade [scenario]," McShay explained during a recent episode of "The Ryen Russillo Podcast." "Is there anyone in all of college football at any position that I would trade [Williams] for?
"Man to man, one-off on a trade. Player for player, there's not a single person, obviously. What would be the trade for two players that I might consider? And the only one I could think of is Drake Maye, the quarterback at UNC, who's going to be the second quarterback taken behind Caleb, and give me Marvin Harrison Jr. at wide receiver, who's a generational talent at wide receiver coming out as a prospect."
What is Caleb Williams' trade value in the NFL?
This exercise is a bit more useful when considering the NFL implications in which a team could opt to trade the No. 1 pick and cash rather than select Williams. Heading into the college football season, ESPN's Matt Miller had Williams as the top pick, followed by Harrison at No. 2 and Maye at No. 3 in his mock draft.
Essentially, McShay is trading the No. 1 pick for No. 2 and No. 3 combined. It will be interesting to see what the 2024 No. 1 pick could command on the open market given Williams is widely viewed as a generational prospect. In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bears traded down from the top pick to No. 9 and received the following from the Panthers: a 2024 first-round pick, two second-rounders (2023, 2025) and receiver D.J. Moore.
"So, I would trade Caleb Williams for Drake Maye and Marvin Harrison Jr. but anything short of that, like there's no player that means more, can create more and like you said, is more of a cheat code for their team than Caleb Williams is," McShay said.
The NFL's biggest loser faces a question ahead of next April's draft as the No. 1 pick will hold more trade value than most years.
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