Caleb Williams Not a Lock to Enter 2024 NFL Draft
There’s not much of a debate at this point whether Caleb Williams is going to be the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, that is, if he declares.
Williams is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and is the favorite to win another in 2023, but apparently, there is a real chance that he won’t declare for the upcoming NFL Draft, at least according to his father, Carl Williams.
In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, Carl Willaims said that his son doesn’t have to declare for the draft if he doesn’t like the team that holds the first overall pick.
“The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first,” Carl Williams said in a recent interview for GQ. “The system is completely backwards. The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league — because of their desire for parity — gets the first pick. So it’s the gift and the curse.”
Athletes like Williams can afford to stick around and wait for the right opportunity now, thanks to the addition of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). According to multiple reports, Williams is poised to make around $3 million this season in NIL, making his choice to potentially stick around for another year a legitimate one.
“That’s for sure now going to be an in-the-moment decision at the end of the year,” Williams said of the 2024 NFL draft. “It’s my third year, and the dream and goal was to go three-and-out. Being around these guys and in college and enjoying it, we’ll have to see at the end of this year.”
Former Heisman-winners haven’t been to successful in the NFL, as they typically land with organizations that are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, as Carl Williams points out.
“I’ve talked to Archie Manning — his career was shot because he went to a horrible organization,” Carl Williams said. “I’ve talked to Lincoln [Riley], and Kyler [Murray] struggled because of where he was drafted. Baker [Mayfield] struggled mightily because of where he was drafted. The organizations matter.”
Will this be the final year that we see Caleb Williams in college football, or will we get the chance to watch him play in the Big Ten? Only time will tell, but it would be a monumental choice and a risky one, to stick around.
