Ironically, I just turned on USC vs UCLA game and saw Williams throw a beautiful TD pass to Addison and T-R fumble on first drop bag (sacked) I saw. Williams looks good. Watched GA vs KY game, and Levis has been playing with a bad left shoulder and turf toe in left foot. Announcers said that, OL (39 sacks), and really young WRs have been part of KY's problem this year. He had his moments and could still be considered depending on draft evaluation. T-Rob is really fast and tough runner. Just led UCLA to TD--short TD pass. This is a good game, folks should check it out in Q3.
Bryce Young’s receivers are also really young and he’s dealing with a shoulder injury to his throwing shoulder, but he doesn’t get these same excuses. Will Levis makes bad decisions with the football on a consistent basis. He will look better with more talent around him, but given that he will be a 24 year old rookie, the last thing I’d bet on is that he’ll significantly improve mentally when he’s already had so many years to do so.
Watched most of USC game. Here are my thoughts on Caleb Williams so far. He will be a top 2 pick next year based on physical traits. His potential is very high. His numbers are inflated because PAC 12 defense is atrocious. He also has amazing receivers including Jordan Addison who I’d love to have on the Texans. His offensive line is just ok, but he can buy a lot of time with his legs. Bryce Young had comparable receiver talent last year and looked just as good against better defenses, but can’t deny that Williams is a superior physical talent in terms of size, speed, and arm strength. Based on what I’ve seen, Bryce Young is further along in terms of going through reads and processing speed, but he’s a year ahead of Williams. Bryce Young has also been more clutch, as he performs well in the 4th quarter and doesn’t break down under pressure. Williams has struggled in the 4th a few times already. I’d be happy with either qb if we have the opportunity to take them.
Caleb Williams is a player. Addison is a player. They have so much talent around them it's really hard to judge, just like all of the other ones on good teams.
I think it's clear that no one is overwhelmed by the top-level QB talent in this upcoming draft. Drafting Bryce Young kinda feels like rolling up to Pappas Brothers and being told you can't order steak. Drafting CJ Stroud would be like being told you have to order the pupu platter. Let's find some better alternatives than this! Or draft for defense. Drafting a mediocre QB at the top of the draft is a killer for 5+ seasons -- see Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Drafting a bad QB near the top of the draft is just fatal -- see Sam Darnold and Mitch Trubisky. You then have to use ANOTHER pick to try to upgrade... and of course there's no guarantee that next pick works either (see Zach Wilson, Justin Fields).
I like Bryce Young and marvel at some of the adjustments and reads he makes. As I mentioned in another thread, he's comparable size wise to one of my favs as a kid Fran Tarkenton (an all-time great). I believe he'll do well in the NFL. My dilemma is I'm enamored with two defenders at the top of the draft Will Anderson (DE, AL) and Jalen Carter (DL, GA). I believe both will be super players and either could be a huge part of our rebuild. Is Bryce special enough to forego one of them at #1? Maybe. He'll be 21 at the draft and 22 when the season starts, he appears to have all of the intangibles, the arm and some of the magic that makes for special QBs. In sum, I'm not out on him by any stretch, but I'm very interested in how his evaluation goes in the offseason up to the draft. Will Levis on the other hand has struggled quite a bit this year. I think this is a pretty fair eval of him... https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo...2023-scouting-report-pros-cons-kentucky-video It points out his strengths, weaknesses, differences from this season/last, etc. Obviously from a physical standpoint he's the prototype QB and in a year when there are no QB perfect prospects, it's easy for folks like me to want to take a harder look at someone like Levis. I haven't seen Drake Maye play, but I've watched Caleb Williams (USC) play twice and he really looks like the complete package. I'm not an advocate to pass on a QB, if Caserio believes one of the guys this year is his man, then go get him. What I'd really love is to come away with an Anderson or Carter and the QB we want as well. If we don't like any of the QBs then load up on defense. The NFL Draft is a crazy process. The 2017 Draft is crazy to look back on and see where QBs were taken, but look just look at the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in 2021. One was a third round WR and the other the 30th pick in Rd 1 in 2017. For all of the time and money that the NFL pours into evaluating players, they still only get it right about 52% of the time. That number comes from a consultant I knew that worked for the Browns and Colts. In any business, that's a pretty staggering number. I've worked with NBA teams using tech to evaluate prospects and part of what they want to understand is who is the person they're drafting, not just the player. That to me is the delta where teams can miss on big time during their evaluation. Circling back to Levis, he's had to overcome a lot of changes this year, but (from all accounts I can read) has still been the consummate leader/teammate. These challenges and the lessons he learns from them are what I call character building experiences. People that overcome a lot of adversity and consistently demonstrate leadership skills are the ones I'd bet on (if I gambled).
On a side note. I swear I saw Bryce young in a Dr. Pepper commercial yesterday. How can he do that and maintain his amateur status? Putting it in a trust fund?
TY. I knew they get royalties from video games, but I was like what, when I saw the commercial yesterday. The commercial was actually quite funny.
No problem. He's a pretty smart kid. Not sure how much creative control he had on the commercial though
In an ironic twist of fate, many of the female athletes are making more than the males. Go figure. And if you need to do research, see Olivia Dunne.
