Typically, when I watch a position, I start at the top of 247’s rankings and work down. This year, with QBs, I started near the bottom and worked up, the whole time thinking to myself there’s no way Caleb Williams, the nation’s top dual-threat quarterback and the only 5-star QB in the Top247, is THAT much better than the rest of these guys.
Well, he is.
Hailing from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., Williams is currently the fifth overall ranked player according to 247sports Composite. Based on the way 247sports ranks players and how valuable QBs are in the NFL Draft, Williams has a legitimate shot to finish the 2021 cycle as the nation’s top-ranked player. Earlier this month, the 6’2″ 209-pound QB narrowed his schools down to three…and one of these things is not like the others.
While it would be fun to watch him blaze his own trail at Maryland, his game is a perfect fit for Lincoln Riley’s offense in Norman, Oklahoma. Williams has 24 crystal ball predictions from 247sports, and all of them are for the Sooners.
Let’s get into the individual parts of his game that make him such a desirable prospect.
Intangibles
Playing at Gonzaga, Williams faces a tough national schedule every season. In two seasons as a starter, he’s a proven playmaker with a competitive edge and a leader with a clutch gene. He carries 209 pounds well, and he’s taller than the recent run of dual-threat QBs to become household names.
In the Pocket
At this stage of his development, Williams demonstrates control of the pocket. He’s able to read the field, get through his progressions, sense pressure, and escape. He has a pure throwing motion with a quick release. He delivers short throws with pace and accuracy. He’s able to change speed, touch, and trajectory on intermediate throws. As you are about to see, his deep ball is pretty nice too.
Arm Strength/Accuracy
In my QB evaluations, arm strength and arm talent are separate traits. I categorize arm strength as the ability to throw the ball far or hard and fit it into tight windows. Arm talent is the ability to throw from different angles while varying the RPMs and trajectory of a pass. Not every QB who has a strong arm also has arm talent. There’s no doubt that Williams has a big-time, accurate arm, and as I’ve already hinted, he has the arm talent to go with it. Let’s go back to 2018, Williams’ sophomore year, and just look at this 65+ yard hail mary to win the WCAC title over DeMatha.
And here’s another 60-yard bomb right on target from his junior season. His WR is able to stack the DB and Williams drops this ball in where only the WR has a play on it.
Creativity/Arm Talent
In today’s game, the QBs who can make plays after things break down tend to stand out above the rest, and there’s no one better at that in the 2021 class than Caleb Williams. He’s a dual-threat in every sense of the term. His creativity is top-shelf. To say he can make throws off-platform is an insult. Just labeling this trait with a scouting term is selling the young man short. It’s much more impressive than that. Rolling right or left, he’s able to contort his body to square up his upper body before whipping the ball downfield from an arm angle that you do not see coming. He’s able to stay on target and on time even without the luxury of setting his feet.
Running Ability
His ability to create doesn’t stop with using his legs to buy time and create new passing lanes. He’s an exceptional athlete and has been a nightmare for opposing defenses throughout his high school career. Whether it’s his legit straight-line speed (4.57 forty), breaking tackles because of this lower-body strength, the contact balance of a running back, or setting up helpless defenders with a filthy dead-leg, Williams’ feel for the game as a runner is impressive. Instead of rambling on about how he creates yards on the ground, I decided to just bombard you with GIFs instead.
As good as Williams is, he’s young, and there is still plenty of room to improve mechanically, fundamentally, and mentally as he continues to hone his craft. We’ll see where he ends up – LSU, Maryland, or Oklahoma. It looks like Oklahoma, and the decision to develop as a QB under Lincoln Riley has proven to be a wealthy one over the last few years.
