CBS

● By Ryan Wilson

Accuracy: 2.88%1258th Place
Caleb Williams announced that he won't play in USC's bowl game, which means that, barring the truly unforeseen, he's likely taken his final collegiate snap. It also means that in 142 days from the time that I'm writing this, he has a great chance to be the first player taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. In mock draft 4.0, I still have Williams as QB1, but I have the Patriots, who currently have the No. 2 pick, moving up one spot to get their quarterback. This also means that the Bears move down, pass on Williams, and are sticking with Justin Fields. (A quick aside, and this will likely become boilerplate for any and all rebuilding teams who take a young QB: Please -- and I can't stress this enough -- make sure you build around them. Solidify the offensive line, make sure the running game is at least replacement level, and do whatever it takes to find receivers who can win at the line of scrimmage. I know, easier said than done because of the salary cap and the inherent uncertainty of player evaluation and development, but if you want to know what happens when you fail to do any of these things, look no further than the 2023 Carolina Panthers. This concludes the public-service announcement.)

Top Players Not Included

These players appear in the top 32 of our

Consensus Big Board

, but do not show up in this mock.