Where Caleb Williams and other USC players stack up in Mel Kiper Jr.'s NFL draft big board

USC has a chance to add to its NFL Draft first-overall pick legacy with quarterback Caleb Williams potentially becoming the sixth USC Trojans to have his name called first overall in the draft. A number of mock drafts see things going that way. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. updated his big board and positional rankings on Friday. Here’s a look at where Williams and other USC players rank on those lists.

Williams at No. 1

Williams didn’t budge from the No. 1 spot in this latest update. While Kiper’s hot board isn’t a mock draft and rather a list of the top 25 prospects available in this draft, the expectation remains for Williams to go No. 1.

Kiper’s thoughts: “The Trojans struggled at the end of the regular season, losing five of their last six games, but it wasn’t Williams’ fault. There’s a reason why defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was fired. Williams threw 30 touchdown passes to just five interceptions (his season is over, as he’s sitting out the bowl game). He had a really tough game against Notre Dame, when he threw three of those picks, but he bounced back and played really well. He also surpassed his rushing touchdowns total from last season, finishing with 11.

Just turn on the tape from any of the games from Williams’ Heisman-winning 2022 season and you’ll see why he’s the top quarterback in this class. He had 52 total touchdowns — 42 through the air — with just five interceptions while completing 66.6% of his passes. He ranked in the top 10 in the FBS in QBR (87.6), passing yards (4,537), yards per attempt (9.1) and throws of 20-plus yards (69).

Williams is a fabulous playmaker, and there are “wow” throws all over his tape, even going back to his freshman season at Oklahoma. He’s incredible escaping the pocket and making off-platform throws, excelling when plays break down. His improvisational skills are off the charts — it’s incredible how he can make the first defender miss and create first downs out of thin air. He has great field vision and throws dimes to receivers while under duress. He’s incredibly creative, which is not something we can usually say of quarterbacks.

Now, Williams is not the prototypical passer in terms of size. At 6-1, he’d be below-average for a starting NFL quarterback. But as we saw with 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, size matters less and less to the execs making decisions in front offices.”

USC Players in Positional Rankings

With Williams in as his No. 1 overall prospect, he obviously fits in as Kiper’s No. 1 quarterback. But just two other USC players rank among the top 10 prospects.

Running back MarShawn Lloyd is Kiper’s No. 6 running back, right behind Michigan’s Blake Corum and a couple of spots ahead of Oregon’s Bucky Irving.

And at safety, Calek Bullock just makes the list at No. 10 after declaring as a true junior.

Wide receiver is a position where two former Trojans are hoping to be drafted, but neither Brenden Rice nor Tahj Washington appear in the top 10. It just happens to be an absolutely loaded year for receivers. It’ll be interesting to see how early some are taken (three of Kiper’s top six players overall are receivers), and how much participating in all-star game weeks can help Rice and Washington’s stock. Rice is scheduled to participate in the Senior Bowl and Washington will be at the Shrine Bowl.

Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace will also have an opportunity to make a statement at the Shrine Bowl.