Heisman Winners Williams, Daniels Air It Out At Their Pro Days

2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams and 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels took another step toward their NFL dreams the past two weeks, participating in USC’s and LSU’s Pro Days, respectively.

Williams joined his Trojan teammates last week in Los Angeles in workouts for NFL scouts while Daniels and his fellow Tiger NFL aspirants worked out for the pro scouts Wednesday in Baton Rouge.

Both players’ calendars have been full of meetings with NFL franchises as teams collect as much information ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Williams, of course, is widely presumed to be drafted first by the Chicago Bears, which would make him the 25th Heisman winner to go first off the board.

The conventional thinking was further bolstered by the fact that it was reported that Chicago was not on the list of teams asking to meet with Daniels following his pro day.

Daniels is considered a potential top 3 pick. Should he and Williams both go in the top 3, it would mark the first time two Heisman winners went in the top 10 since 2015.

Last week on the USC campus, Chicago fielded a large contingent to watch Williams’ workout. Also there was Chicago’s newly acquired standout wide receiver Keenan Allen, who greeted Williams.

Said Williams to the media following USC’s Pro Day regarding the Bears: “They’re trying to see if I’m the right fit to be first pick as QB and possibly be the face of the franchise. They’re trying to figure out if this is the guy they should invest all the time, energy, effort and money into, which is obviously important in this situation. So it was great and just building relationships.”

As for Daniels, he threw passes to Tiger teammates for 20 minutes in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams.

Said Daniels to the press after his session: “The main thing was trying to sell my consistency within the pocket and my footwork. Moving off platform and in rhythm, progressions coming back to a third read, just moving around and making sure I get my feet under me. The rest, we’re just having fun. You hear the music playing. The deep ball is the show and those guys have the speed and I can put it out there for them.”

Daniels also wore the jersey of Tiger teammate Greg Brooks Jr., who missed most of his 2023 senior season after being diagnosed with cancer. 

“It meant a lot,” Daniels said on wearing his teammate’s jersey. “Obviously if Greg was here he would be a part of it, so he’s here in spirit and I’m here to rep him. My teammates that didn’t get an invite to the combine were able to get multiple eyes on them throughout the day with all 32 teams here. It was great for them to go out there and showcase what they have and make their own journey. If they get an opportunity they’re going to crush it.”