Caleb Williams was thought-about the highest prospect within the 2024 NFL Draft, however a Tremendous Bowl champion wasn’t wild concerning the Chicago Bears quarterback.
In a narrative printed Tuesday, The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg shared excerpts from Seth Wickersham’s new ebook, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” set to launch Sept. 9. He additionally interviewed the ESPN author through a telephone dialog.
Citing a piece of Wickersham’s ebook, Greenberg famous Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton scouted Williams, regardless of the staff not being ready to take him. The method left him with issues.
Earlier than the 2017 draft, Payton developed a formula to assist calculate processing velocity for QB prospects, a essential consider NFL success. Not like fellow second-year QB Bo Nix — whom the Broncos chosen with choose No. 12 in 2024 — Williams scored poorly.
Payton additionally felt the 2024 No. 1 choose left “too many completions on the sector at USC,” per Wickersham.
Different coaches share comparable sentiments concerning the former Southern California Trojans star.
On Monday, The Athletic’s Mike Sando launched his annual QB tiers. The tiers are numbered one via 5, with one being the very best and 5 being the worst. Williams landed in Tier 3.
A head coach told Sando that Williams’ processing appeared “alarming” when watching the tape. An offensive coordinator stated the 23-year-old usually holds the ball far too lengthy, consequently taking too many sacks.
Throughout his rookie season, Williams took probably the most sacks (68 in 17 begins) within the NFL. To chop the 2022 Heisman winner slack, his offensive line was shaky. According to Pro Football Reference, the unit ranked sixth within the NFL in pressures allowed (160).
After firing Matt Eberflus, the Bears hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as head coach. His marriage with the younger QB appears to be off to a rocky begin. Williams has reportedly looked inaccurate throughout coaching camp.
Williams nonetheless has time to get the hold of his new playbook earlier than the common season begins in September. Nevertheless, if his issues persist in yr two, that might validate Payton’s doubts concerning the QB.
