Draft guru has QB atop latest 2024 rankings and it's not Caleb Williams

In all likelihood, Williams will still be the top pick should he choose to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the draft, but a few uneven performances in recent weeks have some questioning if the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is as “can’t-miss” as scouts made him out to be over the summer.

USC has lost two of its last three games, and Williams had rough outings in both of them. He had just 199 yards and three interceptions in a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame three weeks ago and followed it up with a 256-yard performance in a 34-32 loss to Utah two weeks ago in which he didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 13 of his freshman year in 2021.

“I’m all for a ban of the word ‘generational’ when talking about college prospects, because it sets near-unattainable expectations and makes a player like Williams an easy target for criticism,” Brugler stated. “…With the bar set so high, it can be easy to call Williams ‘overrated’ after a mistake, but let’s not lose sight of his tremendous strengths as a player.”

Conversely, Maye has had several strong performances this season despite having a worse supporting cast. He ranks sixth in the country with 2,559 yards (Williams is second), and he’s also thrown 16 touchdowns with five interceptions while proving to be more of a traditional pocket passer as opposed to Williams, who’s more of a scrambler/improviser.

“Cut from the same cloth as Justin Herbert, Maye continues to impress with his on-field command despite inconsistent help around him,” Brugler said. “A tall, well-put-together athlete, he has an explosive release with the touch to threaten every level of the field.”