There’s little to gain by a top quarterback prospect running drills in the unfamiliar territory of the combine, so Williams and Daniels sitting out the QB workouts scheduled for March 2 comes as little surprise.
A one-time All-American and the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, Williams had a stupendous collegiate career, with a year spent at Oklahoma before transferring to USC for the last two campaigns.
In his greatest season, which netted him the Heisman, he threw for 4,537 yards with 42 touchdowns and five interceptions to help the Trojans to their second 11-win season since the Pete Carroll era ended in 2009.
Williams took a bit of a step back during his junior season, at times forced to play hero ball to compensate for a leaky defense. USC went 8-5, while he finished his final year in school with 3,633 yards, 30 TDs and five INTs.
After a storied run in college, he’s become a popular name at No. 1 overall during NFL mock draft season.
Daniels, also a one-time All-American who split his collegiate tenure between two schools, has always possessed elite dual-threat abilities. He did not break out until last season, though — his second with LSU after three years spent at Arizona State.
He led the Tigers to a second consecutive 10-win season in 2023 on his way to winning the Heisman, smashing his previous career-high of 17 passing TDs to throw for 40 scores and just four interceptions. Daniels added another 10 rushing scores and 1,134 yards on the ground to go with his 3,812 through the air.
With a number of quarterback-needy teams like the Bears, Commanders and Patriots sitting atop the draft, plus others such as the Falcons lingering at the back end of the top 10, both prospects are likely to be drafted early.
Their potential suitors now know they’ll have to wait a few weeks beyond the combine to watch them throw.