Caleb Williams has not taken a snap in a regular season NFL game, but his early play already has analysts comparing him to the best quarterback in the league.
Whether it was a spectacular running deep ball, a dart into the endzone or showing off his wheels on a rushing touchdown, Williams did it all during the Chicago Bears' preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.
While it was just an exhibition, Mike Florio and Chris Simms were blown away by just how much Williams mirrors Patrick Mahomes.
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"He's more Mahomes than Mahomes was coming out of college because he had the ability to watch Mahomes and grow from him that way," Simms said Monday on "PFT Live."
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Both quarterbacks have made some eye-popping plays in the preseason. Williams has been piling up highlights, while Mahomes wowed fans by tossing a behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce in the Kansas City Chiefs' preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions.
For Simms and Florio, it's Williams' ability combined with his unpredictability that most closely compare to Mahomes.
"He's the closest thing we've seen and there's only a few people in the sport overall that can make the throw that he made there running to his left and down the field that way," Simms said.
"You're already seeing defenses with an 'Oh s---' mentality when he's moving around behind the line because you don't know when he's going to fire that dart past you," Florio said. "Even though Mahomes isn't the fastest quarterback, everybody's kind of on a slip and slide when Mahomes is moving because you don't know what he's going to do and when he's going to do it, and it freezes you just enough that he can run right by you."
Praise doesn't get much higher than comparing a rookie to a three-time Super Bowl champion. While those expectations could set up a fan base for disappointment, Florio believes Williams will come through for Chicago.
"Bears fans are getting very excited but also nervous because you worry about, 'Maybe it isn't going to translate. What's gonna happen? We're setting ourselves up for disappointment,'" Florio said. "But I think they're setting themselves up for something special in Chicago with an offense more high-powered, and it's a low bar, than we've seen really in 50 years or longer."
