Former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly is not a fan of Caleb Williams. He ripped the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to shreds during an unhinged rant about his NFL Draft stock.
Admittedly, I do not know if Kelly is a credible source who deserves any sort of attention. However, he did at one point work for the Jets organization as a Pro Scout and has his former credentials to prove it.
This is the same man that declared Spencer Rattler as the best quarterback in this draft class, so take what Kelly says with a grain (maybe a heavy pinch) of salt. Especially considering the history of quarterback play in New York Jersey.
I digress.
Daniel Kelly unleashed fury on Caleb Williams.
Here is what he had to say:
This time of the year is about teams doing background work and trying to get inside prospects’ heads. This is part of the evaluation process.
I believe any team considering Caleb Williams needs to think about the high risk from the neck up based on Williams actions, conduct and words that he’s demonstrated.
From painting his fingernails with obscenities aimed at opponents to refusing to shaking hands with Utah and refusing to speak to reporters after the UCLA game, Williams has given NFL owners and decision makers a lot to talk about.
Sportsmanship?
He also made a public statement after the Notre Dame game about a fan being like a sheep and referred to himself as a lion.
Will be paint some obscenity about the 49ers on his fingernails?
Will he jump up into the stands again?
Will he put down fans publicly when the microphone 🎤 is in his face after a loss and he’s feeling frustrated?
During a press conference he said, “I want to go home and cuddle with my dog and watch some shows,” (USA TODAY)
What will he say in NFL press conferences?
How will he represent his team and city?
What’s he going to say or do next?
That’s the question.
He’s much closer to Johnny Manziel than Patrick Mahomes on the spectrum. I mean that with respect and sensitivity, but that’s what I would say if I was a scout sitting in the pre-draft meetings.
What I find incredible is that more people aren’t talking about this.
Do we not care about him?
We witnessed Caleb Williams having a mental breakdown right before our eyes crying uncontrollably in his mother’s arms. To me —as a former NFL Scout, he’s the most mentally fragile player I’ve ever evaluated, quarterback or otherwise.
He has little experience dealing with adversity even by his own admission:
“I’ve never been in this situation, where I’m 7-5 and there are no playoff hopes at the end of the season. I’m dealing with it emotionally, dealing with it spiritually and physically.” (Los Angeles Times)
And now we think he’s going to go into a team with a losing record and turn it around?
He’s 2-9 against ranked college teams on top of it all— and now he’s going to do it in a league that’s only faster and more complex?
Make it make sense.
The mental pressure and expectations will be unbearable from day one. Training camp will look more like a rock concert. Every practice throw will be followed by the paparazzi. Completion percentages in practices, all of it will become a public spectacle.
The expectations are he’s Superman, but in reality he’s 22 years old.
Statistically and on game film Williams regressed in 2023.
This is not headed in the right direction 📉
I get team fan bases wanting to win and the mainstream media feeding off that hope, but underneath that we have to care about Caleb Williams as a person more than anything. I personally feel for the young man.
He’s in an impossible situation.
Team owners and front office personnel have to consider this high risk.
Watch his post game press conferences on YouTube over the last six weeks of the season (before UCLA). Watch his body language and his eyes. Listen to his tone. Watch how he carries himself. His energy level is lower. He looks aloof at times. Look at his posture on the bench after the loss to Utah all slumped over. He’s giving us the signs. Even his team responded with more spirit and enthusiasm when QB Miller Moss made his first start in his absence in the Holiday Bowl.
The Trojans were heard reportedly shouting “We a team now! We a team now!” after the upset against Louisville.
Quote by Miller Moss. Read between the lines.
“I don’t think it’s as much about me as it is about the team,” Moss said after the game. “The emphasis is really to come together as a team. No ego, no individual. It’s all about us as a team bonding together, and that’s what we are to focus on moving forward.”
This isn’t a one off, Caleb Williams has been sending us warning signs for two seasons.
— Daniel Kelly (@firstroundmock) on X, formerly known as Twitter
Now, it would be unfair to Kelly not to mention that his very aggressive stance on Williams is shared by other like-minded thinkers. As crazy as it might seem, he’s actually not on an island with his opinion.
However, to form such a strong opinion on someone who was named the best player in college football less than 14 months ago without any tangible knowledge of who he is as a person is ludicrous. Kelly is going off of a few cherry-picked moments from a season that began with national championship hopes and finished with five losses. Would it not be a bigger concern if Williams wasn’t frustrated?
Kelly was especially critical of Williams’ character. He focused a lot on the team dynamic after USC beat Louisville in the Holiday Bowl with Miller Moss at quarterback.
Williams was nothing but proud and supportive of his successor.
Kelly also said that Williams is not headed in the right direction as a player. In his eyes, there was a major regression between 2022 and 2023.
Williams made this throw in the final game of his college career:
Kelly hopes that NFL teams will heed his warning about Caleb Williams before drafting him in April. Considering his title as a former pro scout, maybe that isn’t such a good idea?