Coaches share how Caleb Williams compares to Patrick Mahomes

Ted Nguyen of The Athletic recently spoke with private quarterback coaches about mechanics possessed by prospects such as USC star signal-caller Caleb Williams. 

Multiple coaches noted how Williams is similar to three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. 

"Regarding NFL readiness, no prospect has a foundation for throwing and movement efficiency like Caleb," one coach told Nguyen. "Although his arm strength is the first percentile, he can throttle and adapt his throw at a similar level to Mahomes." 

Just about every draft guru and NFL reporter expects the Chicago Bears will make Williams the first pick of the draft even though some have suggested that there are reasons to believe LSU's Jayden Daniels will ultimately be the better pro quarterback. Nguyen said that "Williams' mechanics were rated by far the highest" among the prospects mentioned in Tuesday's piece. 

"You’ll see guys like Caleb and Mahomes; they have crazy external rotation," another coach told Nguyen. "So what I mean by that is when they start their throw motion from the horizontal L. When they get to this vertical point and start going forward, their arm is able to go so far past 90 degrees that it allows them to change arm angles with their spine angle." 

That same coach pointed out that C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans "doesn’t have that same external rotation" that allows quarterbacks such as Williams and Mahomes to throw accurately via multiple arm angles. Stroud, of course, earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors for the 2023 season. 

Supposed character red flags along with questions about Williams' leadership style have hovered over him as some seemingly have attempted to create drama ahead of the draft's opening night. Nguyen wrote that Williams isn't perfect and "tends to slow his arm too much when he’s trying to layer throws, which can affect ball placement." Nguyen also was sure to add such an issue can be "fixed" at the highest level. 

In short, there continues to be no reason for anyone to think Chicago will do anything but happily draft Williams first overall on the final Thursday of the month.