NFL Notes: Caleb Williams, NFL Draft, New Kickoff Proposal

Caleb Williams

USC QB Caleb Williams is entering the draft process without an official, NFLPA-certified agent. It’s not completely new ground, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson also represented himself as a prospect, but it is another reason Williams is unique as he enters the league. He clarified he has plenty of advisors helping him with business dealings.  

“Everyone thinks I’m a one-man team,” Williams said, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “That’s just not the case.”

Williams said it was important to him to still attend the Combine to meet with teams even if he’s not planning to throw or do workouts until his pro day in March. 

“I want everyone to hear me and get a feel for who I am … so they’re not throwing things out there that are false or that isn’t coming from me,” Williams said.

“Being able to see who I am as a person and my heart and love for football and winning games,” he added. “That’s what I think they’ll get from it, and my intensity about being on a team and going out there and kicking ass with my new brothers. That’s what I’m excited about. That’s who I am.”

• According to the Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler, Williams was unaware of discussions his representation team had about asking for ownership stake in the team that drafted him as a part of his compensation. The NFL passed a resolution last summer prohibiting non-family employees from having equity in teams.
• Williams’ father, Carl Williams, heads his business team along with publicists Phil Crimaldi and Cody Boulware. Carl Williams has been driving a lot of behind-the-scenes discussions about ways in which his son can potentially challenge aspects of the NFL he finds unfriendly to players, like the rookie wage scale or the fact that the worst team gets the top pick, per Kahler. 
• Carl Williams has been handling his son’s business for a few years now. Caleb Williams has been one of the most prolific college athletes in terms of NIL compensation, with Kahler saying he made about $10 million over the past two seasons.
• One scout told Kahler: “He’s not like the quarterback dad who is overprotective and thinks his kid is the next Peyton Manning. He knows his kid is really good and he is trying to max every dollar out of his kid that he can — not in an exploitative way, but trying to help. He is trying to be more his business manager than his dad.”

NFL Draft

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. had formal Combine interviews with nine teams. While he didn’t do media interviews or on-field workouts, he did do the medical testing. 
• Breer adds he has a hard time seeing Harrison get past the Cardinals with the No. 4 pick. 
• According to ESPN’s Field Yates, LSU QB Jayden Daniels and WR Malik Nabers will not take part in the measurements part of the Combine on Saturday morning. Yates says Daniels will do his measurements on March 27th at LSU’s Pro Day and he expects Nabers to as well.
• NFL Network’s Ian Rappoport reports Texas A&M WR Ainias Smith will not work out in Indianapolis after suffering a stress fracture in his left shin.
• Penn State OT Olu Fashanu injured his right thigh during the Combine, according to NFL Network’s Stacey Dales. Fashanu thinks he should be good to go for his pro day on March 15th. 
• Georgia OT Amarius Mims is dealing with a right hamstring injury, according to NFL Network’s Stacey Dales. Mims wants to continue testing and participating at the Combine, signaling the injury isn’t likely too severe.
• NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says there’s a “really good chance” Texas WR Xavier Worthy is taken in the first round, perhaps even as the fourth receiver drafted following his Combine performance. 
• Rapoport also names Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy as another draft riser, as he believes McCarthy has a good shot to be the fourth quarterback taken in the draft.
• Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright and Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell are other players who Rapoport believes improved their draft stock at the Combine.

Kickoff

• NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero talks about the new kickoff proposal created by NFL ST coordinators. Pelissero notes under the new rule, teams would only be able to attempt an onside kick when they are losing in the fourth quarter and they would have to declare it beforehand
• In 2023, just 22% of kickoffs were returned, including zero in the Super Bowl. The NFL is looking for a kickoff that increases the number of returns with an “acceptable injury rate.” (Pelissero)
• The intent is to make the kickoff an exciting part of the game again while getting rid of the factors that could result in high injury rates. A vote on this matter could come during the NFL annual meeting from March 24-27. (Pelissero)