USC Football: NFL Analyst Says Caleb Williams Is “Not Even Close” To Patrick Mahomes As Pro Prospect

Williams is projected to be a top pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is expected to be one of the first, if not the first, players off the board in the upcoming NFL draft. Williams is a special talent who should help any NFL team that drafts him, but some are skeptical of his potential.

Williams has been named a generational talent by some, and others see him in an opposite light. 

Former NFL running back and ESPN analyst Merril Hoge believes that Williams' ceiling is nowhere near that of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He went in on Williams during an unprecedented rant.

"The one thing that is clear: he is not special. He is not something unique like a Patrick Mahomes," Hoge opined. "And I hope the Bears don't think, 'Well, let's try to make up for our mistake when we passed up Patrick Mahomes and go get the (next) Patrick Mahomes.' The kid is not Patrick Mahomes. Ain't even remotely close to that." 

NFL analyst & former ESPNer Merril Hoge is NOT impressed with USC QB Caleb Williams:

"The one thing that is clear: he is not special. He is not something unique like a Patrick Mahomes. And I hope the Bears don't think, 'Well, let's try to make up for our mistake when we passed… pic.twitter.com/FDg8Qc02ro

— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) February 9, 2024

It's a fair thing to say that Williams isn't Mahomes. Mahomes is on the verge of potentially being a three-time Super Bowl winner, while Williams has yet to even take a snap in the league. 

However, we don't know what his potential will be down the line. Williams, as a pure prospect, was more highly ranked than Mahomes, giving him a good chance to go first overall. 

But it's not fair to Williams to compare him to Mahomes until we see him a few years in the league. Mahomes is on track to possibly go down as one of the best quarterbacks ever.

Let's stop comparing prospects to the all-time greats and let them develop first in the NFL. These players are looking to make their mark, and these types of comparisons lack any sort of fairness to their own special talents.