A Trojan horse for the 2024 NFL Draft?
NFL franchises at the bottom hoping to land the top QB in the 2024 NFL Draft may have to hit the brakes on their respective tanks. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is widely considered to be the top draft-eligible quarterback for 2024. Whether or not he'll actually enter the draft is a question, though.
According to Caleb Williams' father, Carl, returning to college is an option if the talented passer doesn't feel comfortable with the "situation" with the team that holds the No. 1 overall pick.
In an interview with GQ, Carl Williams said his son is keeping his options open entering and exiting this season, and that returning to USC for his senior season is very much on the table.
MORE: College football rankings from 1 to 133 — Where do USC, Caleb Williams stand?
Carl Williams explains the thought process behind it:
The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first. The system is completely backwards. The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league — because of their desire for parity— gets the first pick. So it’s the gift and the curse. I mean, I’ve talked to Archie Manning — his career was shot because he went to a horrible organization. I’ve talked to Lincoln [Riley], and Kyler [Murray] struggled because of where he was drafted. Baker [Mayfield] struggled mightily because of where he was drafted. The organizations matter. He’s got two shots at the apple. So if there’s not a good situation, the truth is, he can come back to school.
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While the elder Williams has a point of the somewhat "backwards" nature of the draft, the team who holds the No. 1 pick is seldom a stable, comfortable environment. After all, teams that stink "earn" that top pick, so even if Williams opts to go back to school for 2024, the 2025 NFL Draft may not hold a much better endgame.
Still, it's understandable why Williams would want his son to land in a comfortable spot, or, as comfortable a spot as possible. Caleb explained that the "uncertainty" of the process is what gives him pause, and that it's the "weirdest" part to deal with.
“I’ve always been able to choose the team that I’ve played on, and then everything’s been scheduled for me," Caleb Williams told GQ. "I’ve had a plan for treatment, I’ve had a plan for workouts, I’ve had a plan for eating, I’ve had a plan for nutrition and things like that. …
"But now, going into this next part of my career, it’s weird 'cause it’s so uncertain. You don’t know anything. You can’t control anything but you and how you act. That’s honestly the weirdest part for me, is the uncertainty."
2024 MOCK DRAFT: Where Caleb Williams is projected to land
Williams is coming off a Heisman-winning season in which he threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and just five interceptions over 14 games (including the Trojans' Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane). Through just two games this year, Williams has already tossed nine touchdown passes, keeping his draft stock sky high.
Williams obviously won't be the first passer who has held these thoughts, but maybe his camp has been the most vocal. But actions speak louder than words, and we're still months away from seeing how the USC passer handles his NFL future.