USC Pro Day report: Caleb Williams turns heads ahead of potential Bears move, Brenden Rice continues to improve draft stock

There was a huge crowd on hand for USC pro day, as was expected. Among those in attendance besides NFL decision-makers was receiver Keenan Allen, formerly of the Los Angeles Charges and recently traded to the Chicago Bears. Allen was on hand to watch the quarterback who will be throwing him the ball in 2024.

Let’s start with Caleb Williams; Pro-day workouts for quarterbacks are scripted to the player’s strength, and throwing in friendly confines to receivers they’ve been practicing with for years, there’s only so much you can get out of this type of workout. That being the case, reviews were positive for Williams on Wednesday.

Scouts on hand told me his passes were clean, Williams was throwing dimes and he threw from the pocket well, as opposed to the off-platform, improvisational passes we often saw on Saturdays. It was not a sensational workout, but everyone I spoke with Wednesday believes Williams proved he deserves to be the first pick of the draft.

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USC Pro Day: Notes on Brenden Rice, MarShawn Lloyd, and Jarrett Kingston

Brenden Rice: UCLA v USC

Receiver Brenden Rice had a good day catching passes from Williams. He ran the three-cone in a time of 6.95 seconds then caught the ball well. From the Senior Bowl on, Rice has had a good pre-draft process.

He was at the Chargers’ facility on Monday and met the coaching staff, and he met with the Bears front office Wednesday. Rice has official 30 visits with the Cardinals, Jets, and Panthers and will be taking part in the Raiders’ local pro day.

Running back Marshawn Lloyd stood on all his numbers from the combine and only did receiver drills. The explosive back, who caught just 13 passes last season, wanted to prove he’s a pass-catching threat out of the backfield. Those on hand thought Lloyd looked terrific, running crisp routes and catching the ball very well.

Lloyd is a bit underrated as we move toward the draft, and he’s a bit of a forgotten player at the position. Many at the USC pro day believe Lloyd will battle Trey Benson of Florida State to be the first back selected.

While I still have Benson as my No. 1 back, Lloyd is rated just slightly below the FSU ball carrier as a solid third-round prospect. Lloyd met with the Chicago Bears last night, spent extensive time with the Jaguars and Vikings on Wednesday, and leaves Wednesday night for an official visit with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday.

Offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston had a solid pro-day workout. The Washington State transfer, who is experienced at both tackle and guard, primarily worked on the inside Wednesday doing guard drills and also some snapping at center for about 20 minutes. The Dallas Cowboys worked with Kingston, who has three official top-30 visits.

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