The Chicago Bears currently hold the top pick in next month’s NFL Draft.
For almost two years, former USC quarterback Caleb Williams has been expected to be the first player taken after being drafted.
But after the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner’s performance dipped slightly in 2023, more and more questions began to surface about whether he should be the first quarterback taken in this year’s draft. Ta. Some have debated whether Williams’ skillset translates to the NFL.
Ryan Leaf, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 draft, appears to be among those who have doubts about Williams.
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Ryan Leaf leaves the field before the college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia State Panthers at Neyland Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Brian Lin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Leaf doesn’t think Caleb Williams should be the opening day starter for the NFL team that drafts him.
His comments about Williams came on the latest episode of “The Dan Patrick Show,” where Dan Patrick started the conversation with a simple question: “What if the Bears get Caleb Williams?”
That’s when the Leafs surprised the crowd.
Leaf said much of Williams’ skill set cannot be transferred without development.
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Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams warms up before the NCAA college football game vs. UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
“If you’re going to take him, you better understand that you’re going to draft him this year, but that’s not going to happen,” Leaf said of the possibility of a No. 1 pick.
“Seventy-five percent of what made him great in college can’t transfer to the NFL. He’s not going to be able to do that. He can’t do what he did in college 75 percent of the time and be successful in the NFL. You can’t do that.’ At the NFL level,” Leaf explained. “He can do 25 percent at the NFL level, but it takes time.”
So what is the 75% game he can’t play right now?
Well, Leaf explained that Williams didn’t play under center, didn’t play on time, and learned to play from the pocket to the quarterback position.
Leaf went on to say that Jaden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. are the only two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft that he believes will start on day one.
Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams (left) runs away from Washington defensive end Braren Trice during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
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The former NFL quarterback explained that Penix’s accuracy makes him, rather than Williams, the best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft.
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