He was the top pick in the NFL draft, a quarterback regarded as a generational talent selected by an NFC North team coming off a losing season.
No, Matthew Stafford.
In 2009, a few months after they finished 0-16, the Detroit Lions selected Stafford No. 1 overall.
It took Stafford a few seasons to find his NFL footing. Now — 15-plus NFL seasons later — the Super Bowl champion is pushing to move into the top 10 all time in several passing categories.
Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, is three games into his first season with the Chicago Bears. He also is a Stafford admirer, and Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, Stafford and the Rams will try to prevent a breakout performance by the former USC star.
Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, has passed for two touchdowns, with four interceptions, for a team that is 1-2 after a defeat by the Indianapolis Colts.
It might not be a spectacular beginning for Williams, 22, but the 36-year-old Stafford indicated that the rookie was just getting started.
“I got a little older and kind of realized how good Matthew Stafford is at his job.”
Caleb Williams, to the Chicago press about the Rams quarterback
“He’s obviously immensely talented,” Stafford said. “He makes plays every single week that you see on TV that blow you away as a quarterback.
“I sit there and go, ‘Man, that is some incredible stuff. And then I’m sure there are plays that he wants back, like all of us.
“So he seems like a sharp kid. … I’m sure he’ll figure it out, more and more, as he continues to play and I’m sure he’s going to have a great career.”
Rams coach Sean McVay agrees.
“There is a reason why it was kind of understood that he would be the No. 1 overall pick and I think that’s been earned and merited,” McVay said. “You watch the tape, there are a lot of really good things that you’ve seen.”
Williams first noticed Stafford as a byproduct of watching highlights of Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson, known as “Megatron.” Johnson’s ability to thrive despite triple coverage wowed him.
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“I got a little older,” Williams told reporters in Chicago, “and kind of realized how good Matthew Stafford is at his job.”
Williams noted how Stafford controls the game. His efficiency. How he delivers passes from various angles. And his knowledge of opponents.
“He knows where defensive players are going to be,” Williams said. “so he can move ‘em on a string.”
Those attributes has helped Stafford move to the cusp of supplanting Eli Manning in 10th place on the NFL’s career passing yardage list.
During a 16-year career with the New York Giants, Manning won two Super Bowls and passed for 57,023 yards. Stafford, a Super Bowl champion, has passed for 56,801 yards. He needs 223 yards passing Sunday to move past Manning.
“He’s been doing it for a while and so watching someone like that, who’s had the success he’s had, you know, you want to learn from that,” Williams said. “So it’s going to be exciting to go against him.”
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Williams, who received a four-year, $39.5 million contract, is working under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, a former McVay assistant.
In a 24-17 season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans, Williams completed 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards. He was sacked twice.
In a matchup against Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud — another Stafford fan — Williams was 23 of 37 for 174 yards, with two interceptions, in a 19-13 defeat. He was sacked seven times.
Last Sunday, Williams completed 33 of 52 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions, in the 21-16 defeat by the Colts.
Stafford knows the ups and downs a No. 1 overall pick will experience in his first season. As a rookie, he started 10 games. The Lions won two and lost eight. He passed for 13 touchdowns, with 20 interceptions.
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“It was not all easy for me,” he said, “there’s no question about that.”
Stafford said he leaned on teammates, coaches and family so that it was not something he “shouldered” alone.
“There were some big-time highs and there were some big-time lows as far as my play and our team’s performance and all that kind of stuff,” Stafford said. “But it’s a learning opportunity, a chance to find what you can do and what you can’t do.”
Stafford said one of the reasons he plays is for the respect of teammates and opponents. So he is humbled by the admiration of younger quarterbacks such as Stroud and Williams.
“It’s cool,” he said. “Makes me feel old, but I’ll take it.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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