One Fact People Are Forgetting About Caleb Williams’ Size Concerns
There wasn’t much people could argue about Caleb Williams from a physical standpoint. He has high-level arm strength, capable of throwing the ball 60 yards without too much effort. His accuracy is some of the best seen from a draft prospect in the past ten years. Perhaps his greatest asset is his mobility. The guy can escape trouble and make plays with his legs all day. Yet the one thing experts were able to harp on was his size. Standing at 6’1, he was considered short for the position. Conventional NFL wisdom says you should be at least 6’3 to play the position today. Preferably, it would be 6’4 or taller.
That is because guys like Tom Brady (6’4), Peyton Manning (6’5), Ben Roethlisberger (6’5), and Eli Manning (6’5) have all claimed multiple Super Bowl rings since the turn of the millennium. This, of course, ignores the fact that Patrick Mahomes has three in the past five years and is only 6’2. Russell Wilson is 5’11. Aaron Rodgers is 6’2. Drew Brees is 6’0. The evidence speaks for itself. Plenty of guys around Williams’ height have won championships.
If that weren’t enough, all you have to do is look at Bears history. Jim McMahon was 6’1. Sid Luckman was 6’0. The most successful QBs in franchise history were considered short. Williams himself laughed at the idea.
Greatness finds a way. Caleb Williams knows this.
A couple of inches of height won’t make a difference if you’re destined to be great in professional sports. It hasn’t stopped Williams yet. He dominated high school. Then, he dominated college. Yes, the NFL is tougher, but nothing about it has suggested that only tall quarterbacks can be great. The many examples listed above prove this. Smart quarterbacks find the throwing the lanes. They understand how to manipulate the coverage to their advantage and have no trouble hitting the open man. It’s not like offensive linemen suddenly got taller going from college to the pros.
Caleb Williams will be standing behind guys who are the same size as what he had at USC. He threw over 70 touchdowns in two years with such a group, many of them from the pocket. This challenge isn’t sneaking up on him. Williams knows what he must do to get around not being a few inches taller. Don’t forget Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray are on the shorter side. Both were #1 picks who played for Lincoln Riley. Both have had successful careers thus far. Williams should be able to do the same.