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The first round of the NFL draft will be held on Thursday night and everyone has been making predictions on who they think will be the first pick of the draft. One of these predictions comes from the head coach of the USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley, who posted a video on social media that featured his pick.
Here is how fans reacted to Lincoln Riley’s first-round pick prediction.
These fans reacted negatively to the video, mentioning that instead of naming his actual pick, Riley named a brand of drink that sponsored the video
"Drafting a drink over your QB Caleb must really suck," one fan said.
I hope he enjoys drinking it while listening to Pew Pew Pew!" wrote one fan
These fans were annoyed that Lincoln Riley, an experienced and trusted college football coach, and Tom Pelissero, a trusted journalist would promote a drink in this way
"Lost any respect for you I may have had. Cringed awkward, sellout," said one fan
"F your shameless plug, will purposely never drink it," said another fan
"Sellout," said a third fan
"I encourage everybody to unfollow and block Tom after whatever this dumb commercial is on draft day. What a loser," said another fan
Additionally, these fans were unhappy to see another advertisement on their social media
"Yay more ads," Wrote this fan
"Get off my timeline," said another fan
The consensus among fans is largely negative, with many expressing dissatisfaction over a trusted source's social media post. Initially expected to feature genuine opinions, the post turned into an advertisement for an energy drink, despite beginning with a promise of insight from Lincoln Riley.
Who does Lincoln Riley actually see as the number one pick of the NFL draft?
The player that Lincoln Riley should have said was his number one pick of the draft is Caleb Williams. Williams played under Riley at USC, where he was able to thrive in the quarterback position to become one of, if not the, strongest quarterback available in the draft.
During his stint with the Trojans, Caleb Williams was able to throw for over 8000 yards in two seasons, scoring 72 touchdowns. William's ability to find the end zone was also seen in his first season in college football with the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was able to score 21 touchdowns.
Caleb's strong performances, especially during his William's Heisman Trophy-winning 2022 season, are among the reasons why he has been continuously linked with the number-one pick for over a season.
However, while William's performances were strong, at times, the rest of the Trojans struggled. This was especially seen during the 2023 season, where the Trojans went 8-5 overall and 5-4 in the PAC 12.
Caleb Williams will be strong enough to hold his own as the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears, but will his performances be able to lift the team to new heights after the struggles with former quarterback Justin Fields?
