Cam Newton doesn’t believe Caleb Williams will make a big move ahead of the NFL Draft. While appearing on the Club Shay Shay podcast, host and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe asked the former Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots quarterback if Williams was going to pull an Eli Manning and not play for the Chicago Bears next year.
“He don’t got the juice,” Newton said. “When you think about…you ain’t even got to say the first name. When you mention the word or utter the word Manning, that comes with a little tremble. When you think about Sanders, they don’t even know, half the people don’t even know his last name, they say ‘Prime, Deion.’ That comes with a little rattling of the ‘ooo.’
Newton continued: “Williams? Nah. And you say Newton, that ain’t got no juice either. We already seen what that tried to get you. We sitting across from Shay Shay. …But that’s just the facts. I think now when you looking at these situations and who got the ability to say what they not going to do, it comes with a pre-existing resume.
Newton also talked about what he would do if his children were in that situation. “I’m representing them,” he said. “I know I’m (going to) put my son and my daughter in the best situation to succeed.”
Why Caleb Williams should play for Chicago Bears
What Sharpe is referring to is Manning saying he’s not going to play for the San Diego Chargers who had the No. 1 overall pick in 2004. The Chargers still selected Manning, but he was immediately traded to the New York Giants. It worked for Manning as he led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins.
Williams, who played college football at USC, seems to be all-in with the Chicago Bears who have the No. 1 overall pick this year. With the Bears trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s a foregone conclusion Williams will be playing in Chicago this fall.
“I know there’s about a million mocks out there these days but in terms of Caleb Williams, I think you look at the 120 touchdowns over the last three years,” ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper recently said on air. “Going back to Oklahoma when he took over for (Spencer) Rattler in that Texas game, he was lights out, okay? Twenty-seven rushing touchdowns over the last three years. Guess what? That’s equal to Jayden Daniels, who was considered the Lamar Jackson of this draft.”
On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.
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