Mel Kiper Compares Caleb Williams to Bryce Young: 'Size Matters Less' to NFL Execs

You won't find many criticism of USC star Caleb Williams from NFL draft analysts, but one potential concern for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is his size.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. noted in his most recent big board update that Williams lacks prototypical height for an NFL quarterback at 6'1", but pointed out the league isn't as concerned with that nowadays and cited 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young as an example that "size matters less and less to the execs making decisions in front offices."

It is worth keeping an eye on what Williams measures in at when he gets in front of NFL teams. The 6'1" size is what he's listed at by USC's athletic website.

Sticking with the Young example, he was listed at 6'0" on Alabama's website. His official NFL measurement was 5'10 1/8", more than one full inch smaller than his listed height in college.

It seems highly unlikely that teams are going to ding Williams too much if he measures in under 6'0". Young and Kyler Murray (2019) were both 5'10" and selected with the first overall pick.

NFL teams are going to see highlights of Williams making plays like this and start drooling over the possibility of what he can become at the next level:

The concern with Young's size wasn't so much about his height as his weight and how his body would hold up to being hit by NFL-sized defensive players. Williams looks bigger than Young and is listed at 215 pounds by USC.

Despite some talk that Williams could return to the Trojans in 2024 if he doesn't like the landing spot in the draft, the odds of him actually passing up the chance to start his professional career and risk a potential injury in college would seem low when you are being talked about as a generational-type talent at the most important position on the football field.