USC Football: Former NFL QB and Analyst Skeptical of Caleb Williams as Top Pick

Not sure about this one.

On the Dan Patrick Show a few days ago, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky had a few things to say about your Trojans' QB, Caleb Williams. 

While most of it was positive, he found a few criticism areas worth writing home about. 

.@DanOrlovsky7 thinks Caleb Williams going 1st overall in next year's draft is not a foregone conclusion

"Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, it's going to be a fascinating debate who's going to go No. 1."

Full interview: https://t.co/ZvJi5piI0a pic.twitter.com/mBvGe3djfm

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 10, 2023

Most notably, Orlovsky explained that Williams is "at worst going to be the number two pick in the draft... but he does not play a ton in structure, he does not play a ton on time. Part of that is his style; part of that is that he's the best player on the field usually every game." 

He continued that whether or not Williams can continue playing with this style at the next level is a huge question. While some players, like Patrick Mahomes, Orlovsky mentions, have made it happen in the NFL, it's obviously much harder. 

Host Dan Patrick then asked Orlovsky if there was a chance that North Carolina QB Drake Maye, who is widely considered the 2nd best QB prospect behind Caleb, could potentially go 1st in the draft come draft day. 

To this, Orlovsky responded, "Absolutely." 

Patrick followed this with a hypothetical question asking Orlovsky if he was required to choose 1st today, who would he pick, to which Orlovksy ultimately chose Williams over Maye with some hesitation. 

Orlovsky compared Maye to Hall-of-Fame Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, explaining that he's a "big, athletic, powerful dude....great vision, great feel, throws a beautiful deep and leveled ball. I think he's a superstar in the NFL."

The contention over the future top two picks in the 2024 NFL draft will be a storyline to monitor for sure throughout the rest of the college football season. While Williams is a far more polished prospect, his skillset translating to the pro level is a bit more uncertain.

On the flip side, Maye, who is more physically gifted, per Orlovsky, may (no pun intended), have an easier path adjusting to the NFL, making him great competition for the top pick with Caleb. 

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