Not many people doubt Caleb Williams’ talent. However, some have questioned his mental toughness and are wondering if he can deal with the rigors that come with professional football.
Former NFL safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark doesn’t subscribe to that narrative.
During a recent episode of ESPN’s Get Up, Clark said he thinks Williams’ maturity level is just fine for the NFL.
“I feel like we’ve been trying to make this kid immature,” Clark said. “We’ve been trying to make this young man someone who couldn’t lead a locker room. He was so self-aware. He understood perception. … We’ve never heard of Caleb Williams doing things late night that he shouldn’t be doing, doing things away from the football field that he shouldn’t be doing. I think we’ve built this narrative up about him that he isn’t the sort of person that can fit in with professional football players, and I believe that’s absolutely wrong.”
Williams, who played his collegiate football at USC, is expected to be selected by the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
The 22-year-old is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 68.6 percent of his passes. He also punched in 11 rushing scores.
Williams began his NCAA career at Oklahoma in 2021, but transferred to USC the following year.
In his debut season with the Trojans, Williams totaled 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five picks, completing 66.6 percent of his throws. He added 10 scores on the ground.
Caleb Williams will likely start right off the bat for the Bears in Week 1 of next season, so we will see how he is able to handle himself come September.
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