USC’s Williams, prospective No

• Pete Thamel, ESPNJan 15, 2024, 02:33 PM ET

USC quarterback Caleb Williams will get in the 2024 NFL draft, he announced on social media Monday. The choice comes on the final day that underclassmen are enabled to declare.Williams ‘decision formalizes his status as the preferred to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. His official entry highlights the Chicago Bears’offseason dilemma of keeping Justin Fields or trading him to (presumably)construct around Williams.Williams ‘choice is not a substantial surprise.

It had actually been clear given that USC’s frustrating 2023 season ended that he ‘d wait until the final day he could decide, similar to how C.J. Stroud waited till the last day to decide last year. The dispute surrounding Williams in hunting circles is

n’t whether he’s the No. 1 pick in the draft, but rather whether he is a once-a-decade type prospect or a generational one. Williams’use of different arm angles, his improvisational wizardry and his ability to utilize his legs integrate for an intriguing package.Williams won the Heisman Prize at USC in 2022 and put together another strong season in 2023, even as USC

‘s record dipped from an 11-3 playoff contender to an 8-5 Pac-12 also-ran. Williams completed 68.6%of his passes for 3,633 yards in 12 games in 2023, compared to 66.6 %for 4,537 yards in 14 games the previous year.While Williams didn’t replicate his Heisman magic and USC’s group performance dipped– much due to the fact that of an apathetic defense– he maintained

consistent performance, and his status as the top player and quarterback in this class is secure.Editor’s Picks 2 Related ESPN polled a half-dozen scouts and executives Monday, and none could see a scenario other than Williams going No. 1.”I ‘d be shocked if he wasn’t,” one veteran scout stated. Another included:”

He’s the very best player at the most important position.”Williams finishes his career, including his freshman year at Oklahoma when he won the starting job from Spencer Rattler, with a total of 93 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions and 10,082 lawns in 3 seasons. He went 23-10 as a starter and appeared in 37 overall games, per ESPN Statistics & Information.In his two seasons at USC, Williams also accounted for 21 hurrying touchdowns. Possibly no figure summarize his pure skill and capacity more than him executing 10 career games of being accountable for 5 or more touchdowns. Per ESPN Statistics & Info, only Patrick Mahomes had more in the College Football Playoff era.Williams and previous North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye entered the season as the projected No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft. Both of their teams had irregular seasons, however neither quarterback did anything to alter that status. LSU’s Jayden Daniels thrust himself into the fringes of that conversation with a resplendent Heisman Prize season, as no quarterback did more to increase his stock than Daniels in 2023. One year after Alabama’s Bryce Young and Stroud went No. 1 and No. 2, the wholesale expectation is for quarterbacks to fly off in the leading 2 spots once again. If 2 quarterbacks go No. 1 and No. 2, it would mark the 10th time in NFL history that quarterbacks have addressed that position.Williams provides the 2024 draft its conclusive headliner, as the Bears ‘choice on the pick will loom over the league in the coming months.