Travis Kelce Just Confirmed The Caleb Williams-Pat Mahomes Comp
Two quarterbacks have been mentioned when trying to describe how Caleb Williams plays football. One is Aaron Rodgers. That isn’t a surprise. Williams grew up idolizing the former Green Bay Packers legend. It would make sense he’d try to model his game after him. The other more popular name is Patrick Mahomes. Much of this stems from Williams’ unique ability to buy time with his legs and make almost supernatural plays outside the structure. Few quarterbacks are capable of doing it at all, much less almost at will. Mahomes is one of them. Hearing it from experts is one thing, but what about someone who knows the superstar QB better than most? That is where Travis Kelce comes in.
The future Hall of Fame tight end has played with Mahomes longer than any skill position player on the team. He and the quarterback share a rare chemistry. One would think he’d be quick to shut down the idea Williams is anything like the Chiefs star. Prepare to be surprised. Kelce dove into the topic on his New Heights podcast with his brother Jason. He made it clear that while Williams has plenty to learn about the pro game, the comparison to Mahomes is accurate.
Travis Kelce knows the path ahead for Williams.
The biggest challenge for the Chiefs when they drafted him was teaching him how to play the game like a professional. They wanted him to play more from the pocket, distributing the football to his playmakers. However, they also didn’t want him to lose that “go make a play” mentality that made him great at Texas Tech. Getting to learn under Alex Smith for a year certainly helped that process. Chicago won’t have that luxury. Head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron must craft a different plan. The trick is keeping the Superman cape in the drawer until absolutely necessary.
To his credit, Caleb Williams seems to understand this necessity. From the moment he began preparing for the draft, it was evident he was putting extra work into playing under center, going through progressions, and getting the ball out on time. He seems really self-aware for a rookie, and that is an important first step. Mahomes admitted it took him a couple of years before he mastered playing from the pocket. Until then, Williams may lean on his natural gifts more often than normal. Travis Kelce saw his QB do it.