The presumptive first pick in this year’s draft still hasn’t said whether he’ll be a part of it.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams has a Monday deadline to apply for special eligibility to join the draft as an underclassman. The full list of players approved for entry will be sent to NFL teams on Friday.
Williams has not said whether he’ll join the draft, even as he’s considered the likely No. 1 overall pick. He did not participate in USC’s bowl game, presumably to protect his health for the pros.
There’s little left for him to prove in college; in three seasons — two with the Trojans and one at Oklahoma — Williams threw for 10,082 yards, 93 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions.
Williams’ participation in nothing short of gigantic for the Bears, who own the No. 1 pick in the draft and have vowed to scrutinize college quarterbacks in the coming months. Even if the Bears decide to keep quarterback Justin Fields, the trade value of the No. 1 pick would plummet were Williams not in the draft.
Williams doesn’t have an agent. He can’t demand anything outside of the standard rookie contract from NFL teams. The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft will make about $38 million over four years, with about two-thirds of the total paid in a signing bonus. Williams reportedly made about $3 million in NIL earnings at USC last year.
His father Carl told GQ in September that “if there’s not a good situation, the truth is, he can come back to school.” He could apply for the supplemental draft, too, but there’s little financial benefit for him to do so — and the NFL might not allow it.
Williams wouldn’t be the first quarterback to wait until the final day to submit his name for the draft — Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud did so last year, as did Justin Fields two years before that. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy declared for the draft on Sunday, six days after he led the Wolverines to the national title. He’s expected to be picked late in Round 1 or early in Round 2.
Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., considered the best player in the draft who doesn’t play quarterback, declared Thursday.
Bryce Young, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, announced his intentions to weeks before last year’s deadline. North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels, considered the second- and third-best quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, declared when they announced they were skipping their bowl games.