Caleb Williams Compared to Aaron Rodgers by NFL Scouts: QB "Makes 'Holy S--t' Throws"

Caleb Williams spent the last year drawing comparisons to Patrick Mahomes, and now another Hall of Famer is cropping up when talking to NFL talent evaluators.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the USC quarterback was most often compared to Aaron Rodgers when talking to NFL scouts and executives ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

"He makes 'holy s---' throws on a regular basis," one scout said.

Williams also drew comparisons to Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray. He's a mortal lock to be taken with the No. 1 pick next week by the Chicago Bears, and some evaluators said the knowledge he would be going first led to a less-than-ideal pre-draft process.

"I don't think he's had a great spring," one AFC executive said. "He's still going first. That's pretty much a done deal. But while he was a no-brainer three months ago, there's at least a conversation now. Even still, I think he's a smart kid, a good kid. He just knows where he's going."

LSU's Jayden Daniels, North Carolina's Drake Maye and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy are all expected to be taken early in the first round as well. Daniels and Maye have been projected to go No. 2-3 in some order for months.

Williams threw for 10,082 yards and 93 touchdowns against 14 interceptions during his college career at USC and Oklahoma. He'll be the third Lincoln Riley-coached quarterback to be taken No. 1 overall since 2018, joining Baker Mayfield and Murray. Both Mayfield and Murray have flashed brilliance but put together inconsistent NFL careers, but Williams is the first of the three to be considered a true generational talent.

The Bears believed in Williams enough to jettison former starter Justin Fields for a conditional sixth-round pick. They also added Keenan Allen via trade from the Los Angeles Chargers and signed D'Andre Swift in free agency, so the pressure will be on from Week 1 for Williams to perform while surrounded by veterans.

The irony of Williams being thrust into the fire so soon is that Rodgers and Mahomes, the quarterbacks to whom he's so often compared, both got at least one year to sit and learn the NFL game before starting. Williams will not be receiving the same luxury.