Potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick Caleb Williams is spurning NFL Combine drills and will wait until his Pro Day to throw and workout for scouts, Adam Schefter reports. The former USC quarterback will be in Indianapolis for interviews and meetings. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is also opting to wait until his Pro Day at LSU to throw but will interview with teams at the event, which runs from Feb. 29 to March 3.
Other top quarterback prospects, including Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Oregon’s Bo Nix and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, plan to throw in front of scouts at the Combine. North Carolina’s Drake Maye has not announced what drills, if any, he plans on participating in. Quarterback, running back and wide receiver drills start at 1 pm ET on Saturday, March 2.
Many top quarterback prospects have opted not to throw at the Combine in recent years. Last year’s top overall pick, Bryce Young, skipped Combine workouts in favor of his Pro Day at Alabama. The reasoning is that the consensus top prospects have more to lose with bad Combine showings, especially since they are throwing to new receivers. Quarterbacks often pair with several of their top targets from the season at their pro day and rehearse drills with those teammates leading into the event.
Quarterbacks considered fringe first-round picks, like McCarthy, stand to gain the most by having multiple opportunities to throw in front of scouts at the Combine and their pro days. The Michigan signal caller was tabbed as one of the 10 players who could improve their stock the most at the Combine.
“No NFL Draft prospect has more momentum than McCarthy as the end of February approaches,” 247Sports’ Cody Nagel wrote. “McCarthy is generating a lot of buzz as a potential top-10 pick in April. However, college football analyst Blake Brockermeyer has McCarthy as a second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. He finished his college career at Michigan with a national championship and a 27-1 record as a starter and will have an opportunity to showcase his skillset with the rest of the top quarterbacks in the draft class at the Combine in Indianapolis.”
CBS Sports draft analyst Josh Edwards has four quarterbacks going off the board in the first round of his latest mock draft, with three going in the top three picks. He has Williams going No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, followed by Daniels going No. 2 to the Washington Commanders. He has the Minnesota Vikings trading up with the New England Patriots to select Maye at No. 3 overall, while the Denver Broncos nab McCarthy at No. 12. Edwards cited Washington OC Kliff Kingsbury’s history with dual-threat quarterbacks as a reason the Commanders go Daniels over Maye.
