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NFL insider: Kliff Kingsbury says Caleb Williams and Patrick Mahomes share ‘eerie similarities’

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•01/27/24•

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USC QB Caleb Williams, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
Kiyoshi Mio | USA TODAY Sports - Rob Schumacher | The Republic | USA TODAY NETWORK

When talking about NFL comparisons for Caleb Williams, Patrick Mahomes immediately comes to mind. Both players are known for their electric playmaking ability, particularly when they have to improvise and extend plays with their legs, while also showing off their arm strength.

They also had the same coach. Kliff Kingsbury was the head coach at Texas Tech while Mahomes was the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback, and he served as a senior analyst and quarterbacks coach at USC this past season. That allowed him to work closely with Williams, who has long been projected to go No. 1 overall in this year’s NFL Draft.

Comparing Williams to Mahomes seems bold considering the latter is playing in his sixth straight AFC Championship this weekend. However, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer added to that chatter. He cited a conversation he had with Kingsbury about the topic in which he agreed Mahomes and Williams share some qualities.

“The obvious [comparison], right? Caleb Williams is Patrick Mahomes,” Breer said on Kap and J-Hood on ESPN 1000 in Chicago this week. “And I’ve had no less an authority than Kliff Kingsbury say that to me on the record, that it’s eerie the similarities between the two of them. Remember, he coached Mahomes and told everyone who would listen about Mahomes when Mahomes was coming out in 2017. So he’s had a year now with Caleb Williams, and he’ll tell anybody that there are a lot of similarities between what Patrick Mahomes was in 2017 and what Caleb Williams is in 2024.

“It doesn’t mean that, you know, seven years from now that Caleb Williams is going to have won two Super Bowls, maybe be on the precipice of a third and all that. But that’s the talent level we’re talking about.”

Caleb Williams and Patrick Mahomes also had similar college stats

The comparisons between Williams and Mahomes don’t just stop with the film, though. They also show up in the box scores.

Williams took the college football world by storm in 2022. He had nearly 5,000 total yards — 4,537 passing and 382 rushing — and 52 total touchdowns to win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore.

Seven years earlier Mahomes was a sophomore at sophomore at Texas Tech under Kingsbury. That season, he threw for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns while adding 465 yards and 10 touchdowns in the running game.

Add those numbers up, and that’s 5,118 yards and 46 total touchdowns — nearly 200 more yards than Williams had in 2022, but six fewer touchdowns.

Their junior seasons took little different paths, though. Mahomes took a big leap in 2016 when he threw for a career-high 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also had 285 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, giving him 53 total scores before the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Williams’ 2023 season was still strong with 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns with 142 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, but it was still a drop in production from his electric sophomore campaign. Still, it didn’t stop the draft hype as he continues to trend toward becoming the top pick.

Either way, it looks like the comparisons between Williams and Mahomes won’t be slowing down as the pre-draft process gets underway. As that rolls along, all eyes will be on which team winds up selecting Williams at No. 1.