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JD PicKell: Caleb Williams is 'always able to throw the football'

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•05/15/23•

BarkleyTruax

USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) throws a pass during the second quarter of the USC Trojans game versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 26, 2022, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Spor
USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) throws a pass during the second quarter of the USC Trojans game versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Photo by Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

No matter what position USC quarterback Caleb Williams is at on the football field, he can get a throw off — just another aspect of his game that sets him apart from other QBs at the collegiate level.

On3’s JD PicKell believes that Williams is the unquestioned No. 1 player in college football in 2023, and it’s not just because of his ability to thread the needle and command an offense. Williams is the best in the country at improvising and making the little plays that can go underappreciated in the moment.

“He is always able to throw the football. The flasy term that people like to throw around is ‘off-platform,’ but what does that actually mean? Why is that important?” PicKell said. “90-95 percent of the population, to throw an accurate pass with a football, have to set their feet to throw, or at least have some sort of stable platform to throw the football.

“Those are Muggles. Caleb Williams is a wizard with the football.”

In that regard, Williams has been compared to NFL star Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs QB has a patented side-arm throw that no one has been able to duplicate and is able to make spectacular throws regardless of the situation.

“He takes a negative play — a potential sack, an incompletion, whatever it ends up being — he turns it into a positive play. He turns 3rd & 14 into 3rd & 7 just by being able to get out of trouble and throwing the football with the flick of his wrist,” PicKell said. “It’s like he’s a magic eraser.”

Whether it’s a missed block, a receiver running a wrong route — whatever mistake may happen around Williams — he has the uncanny ability to avoid trouble even when it’s staring him right in the face.

His skills allowed him to finish the 2022 season with the most passing touchdowns in the nation (42) while also finishing with the third most passing yards (4,537), a top-five QBR, and only five interceptions on the year. Williams’ efforts earned him the Heisman Trophy — and he’s undoubtedly going to be a favorite for the nation’s top award this season, too.

Many NFL mock draft analysts are slotting Williams as the No. 1 overall choice in the 2024 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay went as far as saying he would have projected Williams ahead of Bryce Young in this year’s draft class — let alone next year’s.