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2025 NFL QB Rankings: Caleb Williams shockingly disrespected

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated May 13, 2025 12:42 PM ET

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams began the 2024 NFL season with as much pressure as any rookie quarterback in recent years. Dubbed a generational prospect and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, he was hand-picked to be the answer to the Bears' 100-year quarterback curse.

His rookie season didn't go as many had hoped. The Bears won only five games, and Williams failed to become the first quarterback in team history to surpass 4,000 passing yards. Sure, that would've been a huge season for a rookie, but that was the sort of expectation that came along with Williams' scouting report.

Instead, Caleb Williams' rookie year ended with 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Not terrible, but not special, either.

Indeed, Williams played behind an offensive line that surrendered 68 sacks -- the most in the NFL -- and for an offensive coordinator who committed playcalling malpractice on multiple occasions. It tarnished his rookie season and has his ranking among NFL quarterbacks entering the 2025 season lower than it should be.

In a new quarterback ranking from CBS Sports, Williams checked in at No. 16.

"Perhaps no young gunslinger is better equipped for a seismic leap," CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin wrote. "Equally frenetic and feisty as a poorly protected rookie, the former No. 1 overall pick now has a fortified front and staff on his side."

Caleb Williams ranks lower than QBs selected after him in 2024 NFL Draft

The most difficult pill to swallow with CBS's NFL quarterback rankings is the names of some of the QBs ranked ahead of Caleb Williams.

Jayden Daniels, the player selected one pick after Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft, ranks as the No. 1 overall quarterback -- which, honestly, is pretty insane after just one year.

"Recency bias? Sure," Benjamin wrote. "But you'd be hard-pressed to find an NFL team that wouldn't hurry to claim him as its quarterback of the present and future, contenders included. He was simply unflappable for much of his dynamic debut, which ended on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. A second-year dip is possible, but who says Daniels won't keep climbing with some added veteran help in D.C.?"

Sorry, Daniels isn't the No. 1 QB in the NFL right now. Maybe he will be someday, but not yet.

The quarterback who ranks one spot ahead of Williams at No. 15 is Denver Broncos starter Bo Nix, who was selected 12th overall last year.

"Was he shielded from heavy passing workloads early on? Sure," Benjamin wrote of Nix. "By the end of his rookie year, though, he brought a ton of sizzle as a play-extending captain for Sean Payton's offense."

Williams will begin the 2025 season with a chip on his shoulder, along with a mastermind play caller in Ben Johnson and an offensive line that will finally keep him upright. He'll be a very dangerous quarterback in Year 2, and if everything goes according to plan, will make a big jump up quarterback rankings like these next year this time.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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