Has JJ McCarthy outnumbered Caleb Williams for the No 1 spot in the 2024 NFL draft? CFB analyst presents scouting reviews

Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy are expected to be the first two quarterbacks off the board in the 2024 NFL draft. However, one college football analyst thinks that the order has shifted to JJ McCarthy being selected ahead of Caleb Williams.

Adam Breneman took to Twitter and said that NFL scouts believe that McCarthy may have surpassed Williams as the best quarterback in the nation.

Has the gap between Caleb Williams and JJ McCarthy closed to the point where McCarthy may have surpassed him?

Who is better between Caleb Williams and JJ McCarthy?

This feels like a forced conversation to get his name out there for whatever reason, but it is not close between Caleb Williams and JJ McCarthy.

Caleb Williams is far and away the better quarterback talent, and there is a reason he has been projected to go first overall in the 2024 NFL draft for a few years now.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Tulane v USC

Let's take a look at the Heisman Trophy, an award given to the best college football player for the season. Caleb Williams won the award in 2022, and JJ McCarthy was not within the top-10 vote-getters for the award.

Let's take a look at their 2022 seasons to see if the gap between Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy has lessened. Both have incredible offensive talents and solid head coaches at USC and Michigan, respectively.

Williams finished last season going 333-of-500 (66.6% completion percentage) for 4,537 yards with 42 touchdowns to five interceptions. McCarthy went 208-of-332 (64.6% completion percentage) for 2,719 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. Every statistic has Williams being better.

The argument one may have is the number of passes, but the touchdown-to-interception ratio and completion percentage tell us a lot more. Even if the Michigan Wolverines run the ball more throughout the season, that should theoretically open the playbook and make passing the football easier.

We typically have the same conversation every year: two quarterbacks are expected to be the top picks in the NFL draft. Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III in 2012, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold in 2018; and Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson in 2021.

This just feels like a way for the NFL talking heads and analysts to spark up some contrived conversation between Caleb Williams and JJ McCarthy when, in reality, they are not close.

The gap between JJ McCarthy and Caleb Williams is too wide for McCarthy to take the top spot. Williams is viewed as the best quarterback for a reason, and if a NFL GM were to pass over him, that could be a fireable offense.