Lincoln Riley shares advice for Caleb Williams, reveals where he can separate in NFL

In just a few hours, Caleb Williams will likely be a Chicago Bear. The USC quarterback will hear his name called by Roger Goodell and be the third quarterback Lincoln Riley has turned into the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Chicago is hoping for a franchise-altering player but there is still work to be done with Williams.

Making a jump from college to the NFL brings new challenges and they multiply as each player’s career goes on. Riley has shared this advice with Williams, talking about the need to adapt from Week 1 of his rookie year and again down the road with the Bears.

“The further you go along, the more tape they get,” Riley said Thursday on ESPN College GameDay. “You get to the next level and obviously, the competition rises. People are going to try different things to beat you. To me, the great quarterbacks find ways to win games no matter what defenses are trying do to them.”

Williams is going No. 1 for a multitude of reasons but his ability to make off-schedule plays is a huge one. Being on the run and using his impressive arm strength was on full display while wearing Oklahoma and USC jerseys in college.

In Riley’s eyes, improvement needs to come in the pocket. Not many NFL quarterbacks are going to succeed if they cannot routinely make timely throws between the tackles, no matter how talented they are when scrambling.

Developing in the pocket may be the final piece of the puzzle for Williams.

“For him, I think it’s going to continue to get more comfortable in the pocket,” Riley said. “I would imagine teams are going to try to keep him in there. The more he can get comfortable there, continue to beat teams that way. We know how special he is when he gets outside the pocket. That’s where the guy separates himself. So, as his game continues to evolve, I think he’ll be tougher to beat and an even more compete player.”

ESPN’s and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban was the one who originally asked Riley the question, agreeing with his analysis. Opposing teams will want to contain Williams and have him make NFL throws on nearly every dropback. If he can reach the level everyone — including Saban — believes he can, the Bears will not regret their assumed pick.

“If he throws the ball on time as well as his skills to be impromptu, he’ll be unbelievable to stop,” Saban said.