Caleb Williams

6-1, 214, Chicago Bears QB

Overall Grade: 7.0

Scouting Report by Michael Morgan

Summary

Caleb Williams is the accurate, off-script playmaking franchise quarterback who can dictate a team’s success in today’s NFL, with the belief that he can solidify his mechanics in a timing-based offense.

Williams is an off-script, big-play waiting to happen quarterback who played in Lincoln Riley’s shotgun-based RPO/one-read offense. At USC, Williams started all 26 games he played. Before USC, he spent his first year under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, playing in 11 games and starting the final seven games of 2021. During his career, Williams has a relatively clean injury history other than a 2022 PAC-12 title game hamstring injury and a finger injury he dealt with through 2023. Although slightly undersized, he withstands hits with a toughness, which his teammates rally around. This leads to a hero-ball mentality that, with his accuracy, often leads to big plays.

Pass Game

Williams operates at a high level, whether in the rhythm of his offense or in broken plays. Operating exclusively from shotgun, Williams does not show traditionally clean footwork or lower-body mechanics. However, this has not affected his accuracy on short or deep throws. His accuracy is pinpoint to all three levels, and he doesn’t show any signs of aiming or straining to make any throws. Pressure and hits do not seem to bother him either, as he seems to naturally avoid rushers in the pocket. If forced, Williams excels outside of the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield and has the accuracy and arm strength to make special plays. At times, he will try to keep plays alive too long when the checkdowns are available for easy completions and yards. As a decision maker, Williams seems to make the right reads at the right time, but questions of the simplicity of Lincoln Riley’s RPO/one-read system will follow Williams into the NFL. 

Run Game

Whether with designed runs or scrambles, Williams has the mobility to be a threat. While not possessing game-changing speed, Williams has the pocket awareness and feel for pressure to take advantage of edge rushers that get out of their rush lanes. Once he breaks the pocket, he knows how to run and take advantage of bad angles by second-level defenders, making tackling him easier said than done. He shows the ability to make the right read on option plays, as well as RPOs, which adds to the vice he puts defenders in when running.

Last Word

Williams projects as a ”win because of” franchise quarterback who can thrive in an offense that blends RPOs with traditional dropbacks and will utilize his athleticism. His dynamic playmaking ability and 3-level accuracy will dictate his early success, or struggles, as he develops NFL-level footwork and mechanics. His offensive line forced him to be special at USC, and a better one in the NFL should limit the amount of special plays he has to make. He will not throw many interceptions due to his ball placement and decision making, but if he starts big play hunting, he could be susceptible to throwing more.

Critical Factors

(All grades on 1-9 scale)

Positional Factors

 Strengths

 Weaknesses