All the talk about Caleb Williams this offseason has been about his "generational talent."
And as the Bears are poised to take the USC quarterback with the No. 1 pick, some are asking what makes Williams so generational? What about his quarterback play is so special?
NFL insider Albert Breer recently unveiled a unique trait of his that exceeds the rest on the "Toucher & Hardy" podcast.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"I'll give you guys an example of how different Caleb Williams is from the rest of the of these guys," Breer said. "I think Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are close as prospects. I think Caleb's in a different category. And one thing that was really interesting, I talked to his personal quarterbacks coach last week. And he said to me they did all this biomechanics stuff.
"You guys know the idea of putting touch on the ball and being able to change speeds and how important that is in football. This guy told me basically what they see in-game simulation situations is that a quarterback has about 4 miles per hour range on his ball. So most of the quarterbacks they see throw it roughly between touch throws and drive throws between 47-51 miles per hour. There's generally a four-mile per range on a guy's ball.
"Caleb Williams has 10 miles per hour range. When they worked with him, he's been 46-56 miles per hour."
Not only is Williams' arm strength unparalleled to the average NFL quarterback, but his range is ridiculous. His ability to deliver, not only accurate but various speeds of the ball is special. It's worth noting this isn't Williams', or the other quarterbacks', top speed. Breer said these guys can throw 60 miles per hour and above.
Bears News
What's more, Breer mentioned he and scouts believe that Williams is a better "runner" than Mahomes. Mahomes wins the day in arm strength, but Breer said Williams can rip off 40-50-yard runs.
The questions about Williams' ability were validated by his rather suboptimal junior season.
On paper, his numbers were fairly strong. He tossed for over 3,600 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. His sophomore numbers were much better, as he finished with over 4,500 yards passing, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions.
He finished with some questionable games during his junior season, too. Against Notre Dame, in USC's first loss of their five-loss season, he threw for 199 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. In the following game against Utah, he threw for 256 yards and zero touchdowns.
Some questioned his perceived "generational talent," as he flubbed in a couple of games his junior season. These questions are fair, but between the broad numbers, skillset and intangibles, Williams is undoubtedly the draft's best quarterback and the best signal-caller option for the Bears.
"He's different from the other guys," Breer said.