USC quarterback and last year’s Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams has been highly praised, viewed as one of the best quarterback prospects of the decade and the surefire No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
But on the ‘Dan Patrick Show’ former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky did what many have not, critiquing one area of Williams’ game that concerns him as he eventually transitions to the NFL.
“I think that there’s probably one gripe I have about Caleb’s game, I think Caleb is unbelievable and he’s at worst gonna be the number two pick in the NFL Draft, at worst,” Orlovsky said. “He does not play a ton in structure, he does not play a ton on time.”
The uniqueness of Williams’ play style is part of the reason why he is so appealing as a prospect at the quarterback position. He’s shown a rare ability to scramble and buy himself time behind the line of scrimmage, keeping his eyes downfield to make nearly all the throws in the process and proving to be an extremely effective runner as well when nobody is open.
“Now part of that is his style, part of that is because he’s the best player on the field usually every game, part of that is because he creates a ton of big plays and it’s a little bit of Patrick Mahomes in him right? There is a little bit of that mindset,” Orlovsky explained.
Drawing comparisons to Mahomes is high praise, and rare praise that Williams has earned through the resume he’s built. But can he translate that Mahomes-like style to the NFL, and maybe more importantly, can he play outside of that style and inside of a structured scheme on schedule?
“We have seen those guys that are outrageously talented have to do that in the NFL for periods of time, we’ve seen it with Patrick Mahomes, we’ve seen it with Josh Allen, we’ve seen it with Lamar [Jackson]. Can Caleb get there?” Orlovsky asked.
“I’d imagine so, he’s incredibly talented, I just haven’t seen it at the college level probably because it wasn’t been asked and or demanded of him. But that would be the only reason why other than like injury or something, God forbid, but he’s a superstar,” Orlovsky said. “Him and Drake Maye, it’s gonna be a fascinating debate who’s gonna go one.”
Williams is the current favorite to repeat and win the Heisman Trophy again, which would make him the second player in college football history to do so, following in the footsteps of Archie Griffin. But many are more concerned with which NFL team will secure the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and a guaranteed chance at drafting Williams, eager to see if his dazzling style of play can translate from the college to the NFL level.
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