NFL analyst Merril Hoge went viral recently after his harsh criticism of USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Hoge then joined Score host Mark Grote on his weekly On The Clock show to expand on his assessment of Williams as well as break down the other quarterback prospects in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
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You did say Caleb Williams is not special can you expand on that a little bit Merl well like yeah here’s what you get for doing a driveby and then I didn’t realize the word special was so um igniting um because and to me I like you got to Define what special is and
When you do a drive by you you don’t get to explain that in in five to in the last five or six years there’s been two guys that have been special so let me Define what I think is Special by giving you two players that play that position
And what you have I like to see him College prior to coming here now just because he’s not special let me just clear this up doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a chance to be a very good player and a dynamic player because he does have some Elite things which I’ll get to
In a second okay um you got Joe burrow and CJ Stout in the last five or six years now what makes them special in my eyes I’m not saying it’s anybody else’s eyes but I don’t look at when I’m studying kids on tape in college I’m not looking at where they’re playing I’m
Looking at where they’re going to play and that is confusing for people sometimes because I know what environment they’re going into first of all the Field’s going to change okay hash Mark’s going to go narrow and they’re going to play in the middle of the field my guy’s as good as your guy
It isn’t like my guy’s better than your guy 70% of the time in college I’m not going to get 4 seconds in the pocket anymore and guys aren’t going to be W wide open all the time okay or majority of the time we’ll put it that way and so
You’re trying to look for way people that can ultimately play from the pocket at the end of the day that is where you must Master this game I meaning the NFL if you’re going to be truly consistently successful I’m not saying that a guy who doesn’t have Mobility um isn’t a value
And there isn’t some dynamic in that but nobody is going to run that they haven’t done it yet there’s no quarterback that’s running himself to a championship um there’s nobody that’s scrambled themselves to a championship it’s eventually at the end of the day you have to play quarterback and you have to
Be dynamic and good from the pocket so Joe Bur coming out he was very much like that the way he and these two things matter the most and they work together you cannot have one without the other accuracy and the ability to process quickly and then you start throwing
Anticipation in there pocket presence leadership toughness mentally and physically which we can get to in a second now from a pocket presence he is not special I don’t watch you in fact his gift hurts him a player like him a seen this so many times there is he has
A gift that everybody thinks is exciting and is special and that is his unique Mobility okay that’s that’s not going to win your championship and being exciting is not a skill set now his elusiveness is rare I would argue it’s better he’s more elusive than Patrick roles does
That make him better than Patrick roles absolutely not it just tells you that he has that Dynamic to him now the problem with that is when and he does this playing from the pocket when the pocket’s clean and then when the pocket’s dirty he does it more so but
He’ll leave plays on the field what I mean is from the pocket you get a coverage you get a route combination and I said they don’t do a whole host to this which is another layer of concern is they predominantly are college system I mean they are they’re as pure college
System as you can get they are lateral team lateral team lateral team but they do do some things down the field they’re not like NFL con steps so you have to look at that as best you can and get a feel for that um he will not make the
First though sometimes because I he he’s got four seconds there’s no reason to do that in in a lot of way he he processes stuff as you’ve seen process stuff because he’s done so many magical things by moving and being Lucy so in the NFL you don’t have that luxury anymore like
When the guy is open you got to give him the ball okay what makes Tom Brady the greatest in the history of the game game okay um and I’ll even get the Patrick Mahomes in a second he executes plays when the flat route’s there give him the
Flat route when the Slants there give him the slant um and it’s then the ability to throw it into Tight Windows and even when a guy may look covered but that is based on his positioning and based on where the defender is a guy is
Open in the NFL you hardly see very few people in college do it like Patrick Mah I mean uh bur would do this CJ draft St I would see do this but keep in mind last year when TJ Str was coming out he was the only guy that was a first round
Value I mean the Carolina Panthers are going to be years in recovery for what they did with Bryce young because because he was so limited and those limitations aren’t changing I mean the Carina Panthers the Chicago Bears are are benefiting this but and I’ll tell you this that you know Caleb’s skill set
Is better than that um but I’ll get that in a sec so just finishing up that’s what to me is special because a guy that can transition into the league and play in that Arena and they show the evidence in college that man they got a shot to
Do that now when you look at Caleb the one thing that um I am telling you is unique as unique as I have seen it and I’ve been doing this for 40 years from playing coaching studying his accuracy is unique and that is a gift and the
Thing that I’m talking about that you I haven’t seen enough evidence to make him special doesn’t mean he can’t do that eventually I’m not saying he can’t I’m just saying he will always fight this hurdle of his ability to make plays and move and can he harness that and break
That and make that a part of his last resort versus sometimes I’ll just go to it and that right there can ruin players more than it can help players and there’s a lot of things that he doesn’t control that are completely out of his scenario this expectation that he is
Patrick Mahomes is going to be an a daunting thing Patrick let’s just take Patrick Mahomes came out came to a playoff team s first year and those two things are not going to be his luxury and he had great coaching and that coaching matter so there’s three things
That he has nothing to do with but are going to play a role in this he’s not going to a playoff team if he goes to Chicago um they’ve got new coaching again which you know has been some of their biggest issues you can’t be consistent with any I know of no
Business that exist on Planet Earth where you change every year and you’re going to get better as a as a company or as a unit as a team or as an organization it’s just not going to happen it’s nearly impossible for that to happen and that is what they have
Cons consistently done so that’s one I look at special and um doesn’t mean he doesn’t have other great skill sets I think he processes Things based in the college system very well um he does do that one those areas of concerns that you must Master to be an excellent
Quarterback in the National Football League and from the pocket aspect of it he does enough of that that damage there will be damaging in the NFL if he doesn’t learn to develop his skill set and get rid of the football and give it to the guy who
Deserves the ball if it’s a slant route give him a slant route don’t hold it going W I think I can get something else out of that in the National Football League is not going to work out for you as well as it did college and it’s not
Just making bad throws it is getting hurt you know and so but that is something you can teach like okay the accuracy aspect I you you can’t teach the he has that is a that is a unique gift and you know that that that cannot be overlooked and from everybody I’ve
Looked for to this point about six quarterbacks he is superior to them from an accuracy aspect probably the superior I’ve ever seen quite honestly it it sounds to me Marl though that you I mean the all interesting points you still think I mean not Elite
But you still think he could be a very good quarterback and don’t you don’t don’t you also think I just want to throw this in there too don’t you think that his ceiling is higher than that of Justin Fields because some of these strengths that you’re talking about are
Weak like the the accuracy the processing quickly that’s been a huge issue with juston fields and you know Fields had the same thing Fields had professional wide receivers at Ohio State who were wide open all the time as well so I think that that’s something that don’t all top quarterbacks or any
Quarterback coming into college they all have to make a huge adjustment for that don’t they I mean that’s not uncommon well well unlike a burrow and a CJ strad when you could see that you you could see that in their college in the college game that they played in their aren that
They played they did more Pro style system too than USC did so it was clearly more evident there with those two guys and keep mind those that’s two guys out of six years how many quarterbacks would that amount to um um yes he could he could develop that that
The difference now you know that you do have to consider this he’s 61 these other guys are 63 and 6’4 that that height when you get to about 61 and well once you get 63 and 65 those things do matter a little bit that’s why I go back to like you know
Bryce young he’s 5’9 that never he can work as hard as he wants he can train as long as he wants he’s never changing that that’ll always be a limit there’ll always be a problem with game planning and the things that he is able to do
From the pocket so so that hinders him a little bit um from the pocket thing but yes he could clearly develop um into a guy who functions and knows how to play there and plays that with with Excellence I I don’t think there’s any doubt that is one area that but but you
Don’t see that in college right now because he is so D dynamic in his ability and his elusiveness he will lean on that more than just playing through structure and that’s what I’m saying that that that’s a fine line there and I’ve always felt like a guy who has that
When he first comes in I actually like that because he gets out of a lot of trouble and he and he can make some things happen for your team but at some point he’s got to harness that and take whatever he’s done from a Mobility aspect and convert it to his
Arm I’ll give you the great one of the greatest examples that just happened AFC Championship Game Lamar Jackson throws a pick and what looks I mean yes there’s you know you got two deep safeties you got the trail Defender he th three guys are there he throws the pick it’s a bad
Throw it’s second and 10 now let’s walk through second and 10 and what there’s two minutes on the clock whatever there’s plenty of time clock to score uh you have based on the route Concepts they have everything that he should have been reading should have told him take
The drag route underneath because you’re tied in it’s just carried underneath def Fender okay it isn’t just the picky through it’s the circumstances of where you were on the field and Lamar played like that in Louisville and he has never not played like that when big games very few teams
Can get him very few teams can get him to play quarterback so so the Kansas City chief said you know what we’re gonna make you play quarterback and it’s just it’s just my my final example of how good you have to be from the pocket
Um and and and then soon as you say that well he’s so dyn okay that’s that’s great but that is going to be his greatest hurdle is learning to manage that and not want to go to it and I’m not gonna say it’s gonna happen this first year I would
Never say that’s too hard on a kid um when he comes to NFL keep mind he’s got Pro Concepts he’s never done before you’ve got defenses that are a heck of a lot better than defense you face and keep in mind if you look at the second
Year which I did finally get through all his games last year so I’ve got some 16 games through here so I feel very comfortable where I am with my with him even those defenses played a little different you know they pushed the pocket they made his size a little
Bit of an issue they kind of understood that he would hold the ball and maybe go to move and run versus get rid of it at times and because they don’t do a lot of stuff down the field and certain route Concepts there a lot of bubble screens
Smoke screens and you know RPO deals you don’t get to see a lot of it but if you the system I have I can create all of those plays and just watch all of them together so that gives you a really good feel if you only see like you know six
To 10 a game it can be you know you can miss it and that’s why I I group them like that to watch that yeah so when you watch him just from the pocket where he’s GNA have to play and be great that’s why I said he’s not special you
Know all those other things I talked about him are unique um and are are really I love him about him who who Who’s your top guy who’s is he your top quarterback who’s your top quarterback you have your rankings or have you done that yet or
Like like no no because I’m not done with everybody but I’ll tell a guy who actually I’ll tell you a guy like Jaden Daniels the LSU kid uhuh like he actually I watched him when he started Arizona State and that kid has really developed and they do more pro pro
Concepts than say USC’s offense and he actually plays from the procket pretty well like you know when the Washington’s pick let’s let’s put this way based on where I am now um and I’ve only went through six guys I got May done Caleb D Daniels bonick and then pennick and
Washington and um you know I would say that um Daniel Caleb Williams here’s what it will appeal to CH I understand what it is appealing to the Chicago Bears or any team is is is true his his I’m telling you it’s not so much his elusiveness I I do and I and
I I’m not I’m not I’m not disclaimer because I to me that is his wild card can he man that and basically control it enough not to let him be a Scrambler all his career that’s that’s where I’m getting where I can that’s where I can
Go with a guy that’s that good at it like he’s got Barry sandard type moves keep mind I mean he makes some moves almost like oh my gosh I mean he’s better than Patrick Mahomes and you say that then yeah well and no no problems with
The size there either I mean 6’4 so you don’t have to you know worry about that yeah Patrick Mahomes I mean um not Patrick Mahomes but um J um Caleb will you know know um well Dan he he really plays well from the pocket like you would feel very comfortable that you
Know what he has a good chance to transition because you see him do it in that pocket and you see him function he’s he’s fluid he’s got really good feet and he’s accurate you know so and he processes things well the thing that I know that will appeal to a lot of NFL
Teams is Caleb’s accuracy is is unique and and it is you know accuracy is such a critical component of being successful it’s all those other things that that are variables that you have to address and you have to talk about and then one of the other things which you know of
Course if you’re still if you get these meetings you can try to have a better feel for it but how tough is he mentally you know I think he’s a pretty physically tough kid watching him playing some hits he takes you know um but mentally because that to me is going
To be will be the overwhelming factor for him because let’s say Chicago does drafting what is everybody already going to think okay we just made up for our mistake we just made up our well he’s not coming to a playoff team you know what kind of coaching is he going to get
An Andy Reid style of coaching you know um I don’t know I don’t know that staff well enough to do it but I would listen I try to assume that he’s going to get good coaching but that’s not always true in every aspect of things and then
Forget all of that you know is your team a playoff team your division is getting better and better the Packers Detroit division’s tough division’s tough that that de that decision’s not getting weaker it’s getting tougher you know and then you don’t you don’t you don’t start winning well who’s going to take the
Heat for that right right oh well it’ll be the quarterback of course yeah it’ll it’ll be it’ll be the quarterback well let me let me ask you Mar because I’m running um I’m going to get in trouble if I keep be on too much longer here and
It here here’s the uh last thing I want to ask you do do you think that Justin Fields should that they should just go to bat with Justin Fields give him you know nice three-year extension you think Justin Fields is the guy that they should stick with well here’s what I don’t have
Nobody has I haven’t been sitting in those rooms with Justin Fields okay so they didn’t have a better feel for him as a human being as a player you know his IQ is toughness the one thing I can just say about Joseph fields which is unfair to all players every player would
Tell you this especially the quarterback he’s CH how many coordinators has he had that are consistent right well I mean no yeah you’re right you’re right what was his biggest flaw what was his biggest flaw coming out of Ohio State he was raw now you bring rawness into something and new
Learning new learning new learning new learning I’m like and when I walked I you know I went back and studied him towards the end of the year just Phils does some pretty Dynamic things you know with his legs and his arm you know um but I’m not in that meeting room to have
And that’s where people that have been around him are going to have to make this call that’s why I just talked about that mental toughness of Caleb Williams I mean the the getting to know these players and talking to these players and doing things that we don’t have access
To which there’s Great Value to too by the way yeah yeah that’s going something in that in those meetings is going to be the final the whatever becomes the final straw you know rather we’re going to move on and we’re going to start over here and I can see that there are some
Things that Caleb does that Justin doesn’t do that would lead you to believe listen I can develop that I’m going because every coach believes they can develop it and they they can they can fix it you know it’s going to be uh which one do they think they can do it
Best with and which player do they think is going to probably have the most ownership in the aspect and they have the best way to work with you know and I don’t know have that luxury of knowing that um but that to me is what it’s going to to come down to
29 Comments
“Caleb won’t have recievers running wide open in the nfl” …. “The only special players in the last 6 years are burrow and stroud” …. Stroud and burrow had 3 of the best wr prospects in decades on their college teams and Caleb doesn’t have a single NFL receiver??? Having a really hard time following the argument
Hoge is absolutely correct. Williams may have the TOOLS to be the next Mahomes, but Chicago fans want keep saying he will be that RIGHT AWAY! Problem is, Williams, like Mahomes, doesn't play in an offense where they do pro-style stuff. Mahomes had to sit a year to learn that, Williams would have to as well. That simply will not happen in Chicago and we will be back drafting ANOTHER QB in 3 years. The expectations put on Williams are not possible to live up to.
I do agree honestly if you actually watch film
I know that people say this guy knows a lot about scouting quarterbacks but he clearly isn’t watching the film here. Williams is under duress 70 to 80 percent of the time he’s in the pocket, and many times that pressure was coming immediately. The fact that he can extend plays, even on plays that he should be looking to get rid of the ball quickly, shouldn’t be held against him because he’s not looking for the five yards second and short, because he knows he can extend the play which ultimately allows his receivers to get wide open. USC hasn’t had the kind of talent that LSU and OSU has had for a long time. And no one was thinking that Joe Burrow was going to be a star quarterback when he was in his third year in college, nobody. Nobody was thinking that P Mahomes was going to be the best quarterback in the league when he was coming out of college. Rather than criticizing the player just say I don’t see it.
What argument are you even making Hoge? Caleb is a throw first QB. He’s not Lamar. They aren’t even comparable in style or skillset.
Kurt Warner said the same thing he hasn't seen anything special
I been watching a lot of tape on Jayden Daniel and i hope Pole has done his homework. I hope Pole didnt fall in love with caleb and ignore other QBs like ryan pace did. Jayden daniels may just be a better pro with a higher ceiling
So according to merril, if caleb was going to the eagles or chiefs, he's special. But since he's probably going to the bears or commanders, he's not special?
This coming from a guy that only analyzed 3 of Caleb's games? This Dude is a wacko.
Speaks a lot about your knowledge guys, it was not always accuracy, but recievers who are not where they suppose to be, because they are timing routes and the combined 50 percent drops by the rest of the receivers other than Moore…smh
I love the hate on Hoge when he's evaluating a QB unbiased (tho he was on the 94 bears), and he calls it as he sees it.
I agree with Hoge. Williams will be good, but he’s not a guy I would want to build my team around. Give Justin the teammates, then let’s talk.
"his pocket presence is not special". this is what i don't understand in his argument. anyone that's watched his film will tell you it's one of his elite traits. it's not something that's hidden or difficult to see. it's obvious which is why it makes zero sense to me. i think there's clear bias from the off the field "concerns".
670 the score Madden button pushers, who never played the sport, are experts on QBs now.
Hoge who played highest level and gets paid by major network for his analyst, has a bum of nerds and you tube clowns hurting.
Kurt Warner just said watching these CFB is hard to watch, not a pro relatable offense, and not good on script
This dude is a clown, CW isn't being so highly scouted because of his mobility, it's his arm talent and ability to throw off platform so accurately, and has a great arm, remember this is coming from a guy that got cleared from a concussion over the phone and suffered another concussion the next week and had to be revived on the field, his brain isn't the sharpest
Caleb doesn’t play under center. Shotgun only takes you so far. If bears draft him and I think they don’t but he’s going to struggle Keep Justin and trade the pick
Former pro players–Hoge and Jurkovich take a side! This is great for us fans. Too many former pros that straddle the fence and pros/cons on both sides…All of us can do that and predictable and a waste of time! Thanks MERRIL and JURKO!!
He’s right he wont be special.
Hoge rambled for 18 minutes talking about Caleb's elusiveness? Host should have stepped in to stop the rambling
Lots of people know that Williams is nobody special
Not only were the Chiefs a playoff team when Mahomes was drafted, they had Mitchell Schwartz & Eric Fisher (Best OT tandem in the NFL at the time), Tyreek Hill (HOF), Travis Kelce (HOF). He has transcended to a game changer, but he had a TON of help when he started.
The thing that makes Mahomes “Mahomes” is his ability to perform in the clutch in the face of NFL defenses. There is no way to scout that, and if Caleb isn’t dedicated to working himself to the bone, he’ll be Kyler Murray at best.
People need to stop projecting “The Next Mahomes” because NOBODY was calling Mahomes “The Next Brady”.
All the best QBs In the league (except Burrow and Herbert) were drafted to playoff teams. They were able to learn in big moments. They weren’t forced to “save the franchise”.
Well we know Fileds isn’t elite for sure, so we have that
Ppl are not realizing that Poles chose Tyson Bagent over PJ Walker because Bagent was better in the pocket. Poles knows what he is doing. He know what he wants. He isn’t completely sold on Williams.
You’ve got to love how the fullback is trying to tell everyone which quarterbacks are “special”. I hate to break it to you Merrill, but every quarterback in the draft is more talented than you ever were. Your position is known for being the least important position on the team. There is a reason why most teams don’t even have a fullback on their roster anymore.
Even IF i bought his thrown-together walk back on what he "defines as special" (and 💯 DO NOT buy it), he still made his statement after openly admitting to only watching 6 games out of Caleb's 37 college games.
Do better, Merril.
Was this analysis brought to us by Jack Daniels or Wild Turkey?
His analysis is often spot on. It really comes down to whether the QB can fix their bad habits, improved and how much dedication and work they put in. But from his analysis of game tape on QBs, he's pretty much spot on
The issue with so many people today is that they would disregard his analysis because he "was wrong," before. But they never looked at the context of it. Nobody predicted Mahomes to be who's he is today. Mahomes was very raw drafted. But he sat for a year in what was the best situation a QB could be in. He wouldn't be the Mahomes today if he went to the Jets
Jesus, we'll see how tall Williams is on Thursday. If he's 6 foot or under take a hard pass.
Very refreshing to hear Merril analysis on Caleb, fair and straight to the point..
he's not saying this kid will be a bust, he's saying not that generational talent everyone is claiming him to be..
which is okay.