When the 2024 NFL draft's first round kicks off on April 24, almost every expert and insider expects the Chicago Bears to pick former USC quarterback Caleb Williams as the first overall choice.
In a competitive group of quarterbacks including North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, many people think William's physical abilities are better than all. But when it comes to the qualities that cannot be measured, how does Williams stack up?
Dan Pompei from The Athletic investigated this topic, talking to eight NFL scouts about the upcoming quarterback class. Multiple scouts had worrying things to say about Williams’ intangibles.
“I think his toughness is still unknown. He has had a very smooth experience at every stage and hasn’t had much to overcome,” one scout told Pompei. “But when you end up crying in your mom’s arms after losing, that’s a disqualifier for people who aren’t picking in the top few picks.”
NFL Scout Has Another Warning About QB Caleb Williams
The reference to Williams crying in his mother’s arms refers to the former USC quarterback’s reaction after the Trojans lost to the Washington Huskies, 52-42, in November of last year. Williams completed 77% of his passes, throwing for 312 yards and netting four total touchdowns against the Huskies, but it wasn’t enough. After the loss, he hugged his mother in the stands and appeared to cry.
It was a vulnerable and genuine moment, but Williams received criticism from some for reacting so emotionally. Others, such as former NFL linebacker and current analyst, Emmanuel Acho, defended Williams and the QB’s right to express himself.
Another scout had a different issue with Williams, however.
“It wasn’t easy trying to get information on him. You had to dig. Everyone tries to protect him, which makes you wonder what they are trying to hide,” a different scout told Pompei. “If he has been injured, we don’t know. We saw him take some good hits and come back, though. He’s a little odd and eccentric.”
What Specifically Are the Immeasurables Scouts Looked At?
According to Pompei, the intangibles scouts graded players on “were broken down into football character, toughness, poise and processing. The sources were granted anonymity and asked to rate each player in each category on a 1-5 scale, with five being the best. Then each player was given a cumulative score.”
McCarthy ranked first in the scouts’ intangibles rankings, followed by Daniels (second) and Maye (third). Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. finished fourth, while Oregon’s Bo Nix finished fifth. Williams landed in sixth place behind Nix, ranking last among all top QBs.
“Four of the eight scouts rated Williams last overall in immeasurables and three rated him next to last. What should be noted is most of the scouts didn’t speak dogmatically about Williams’ intangibles. Most expressed uncertainty or less certainty than they felt about the others,” Pompei wrote.
It’s fair to be uncertain about whether Williams, who threw for over 10,000 yards in his three college seasons, can excel at the next level after tearing it up in college. But if he can lead the Bears to their first winning season since 2018, it’ll help silence the doubters and critics in a big way.
