Professional comparisons for top-6 QBs in 2024 NFL Draft class

QB1: USC QB Caleb Williams -> Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

It should be a certainty, but the fact USC star Caleb Williams may not go No. 1 overall is telling to say the least. He would be the most talented quarterback to enter the draft since Trevor Lawrence was coming out of Clemson three years ago. He may be more talented than the face of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his mercurial personality rubs some people the wrong way and is a cause for concern.

But in terms of football talent, Williams projects as the next Patrick Mahomes. He is a far better prospect than what Mahomes was coming out of Texas Tech in 2017. The idea behind drafting Williams is that his new team would be getting a younger version of Mahomes after having been groomed by Andy Reid, Alex Smith and others. His ceiling is as high as his floor, but there is variance.

Like Drake Maye, it is hard to visualize Williams playing for anyone other than Chicago, New England or his hometown Washington Commanders. I absolutely love the latter for him. If anyone could make it work in Chicago, it would be him ... or J.J. McCarthy playing for Jim Harbaugh. If Williams went to the Patriots, it is more oil and water than the worst machination of Cam Newton playing for Bill Belichick.

Maye and Williams can succeed anywhere, but Maye does better in New England than Williams would.