Few NFL talent evaluators were surprised to learn Caleb Williams would not participate in drills at the 2024 NFL Combine.
Williams is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, so it wasn't like the USC product could improve his draft stock in Indianapolis. And with fellow top quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye also expected to skip out on throwing at the combine, it made sense for Williams to wait until his pro day to work out in front of NFL teams.
But Williams is making the unprecedented decision to sit out of another part of the NFL Combine. The 22-year-old won't participate in medical examinations with NFL teams at the event, CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported Thursday night.
Williams is still meeting with NFL clubs at the combine. And he addressed his decision to skip out on the medical exams in a news conference Friday morning.
Even so, Williams' decision to skipping medical evaluations while at the NFL Combine is creating a stir, and there's a good reason for that.
MORE: Why Caleb Williams isn't throwing at the 2024 NFL Combine
Caleb Williams medical examinations
Williams is believed to be the first NFL Combine invitee to attend the event but decline medical examinations, a league source told Jones.
Fan interest surrounding the combine tends to be about the athletic testing results and performance in on-field drills, but Jones described the medical exams as "one of the most essential elements of the combine."
The reason for this is simple. NFL teams don't have access to injury information about each player from their college days. So they need to collect it themselves ahead of the draft.
The combine is one of the easiest places for teams to acquire medical data to evaluate a prospect. At times, these exams have proven mutually beneficial, as they have uncovered previously undiagnosed conditions or injuries in players.
Already this year, a medical examination of Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry revealed that he suffered a Jones fracture in his foot. As a result, he is not working out at the combine and will instead rehab, work out at his pro day and then have surgery to repair the issue.
During an NFL Combine medical evaluation, doctors found that #Bama All-American CB Kool-Aid McKinstry has a Jones fracture in his right foot, sources say. McKinstry won’t work out in Indy, but will do so at his Pro Day, then get it fixed. He should be 100% before training camp. pic.twitter.com/EaQaqMCgFC
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2024
Meanwhile, prospects who don't find medical issues are usually green-flagged, which can help cement them as safer draft pick options. That could leave onlookers wondering why Williams is skipping the exams, especially considering his lack of a notable injury history.
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Why is Caleb Williams skipping medical exams at the 2024 NFL Combine?
Williams doesn't appear to be hiding anything by skipping medical exams at the combine. He just seems to be avoiding one of the more tedious parts of the process given his high-end standing in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Top prospects at the combine are often examined by all 32 of the NFL's team doctors. That repetitive process has irked players in the past, as Jones details.
The NFL has for years gotten complaints from draft prospects about the length of time for medical examinations as well as the redundancy of having doctors from all teams examine the same player and ask the same (or similar) questions.
Given that Williams is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it doesn't make sense for him to go through exams with all 32 teams. He said as much at his news conference Friday morning.
"I'll be doing the medical stuff, just not here at Indy," he said. "I'll be doing it at the team interviews.
"Not 32 teams can draft me. There's only one of me. So the teams that I go to for my visit, those teams will have the medical, and that will be it."
So far, Williams is scheduled to meet with the Bears, Commanders, Raiders, Vikings, Falcons, Patriots, Jets and Giants at the combine. It isn't clear whether his list will expand during the pre-draft process or if these are the eight teams for which he is willing to play.
Regardless, Williams will significantly cut his time spent in examinations by limiting them to the teams he chooses to visit. And if Williams still ends up being the No. 1 pick after his gambit, he could inspire other players to bow out of medical testing in future seasons.
Williams is a unique prospect, though, as his skill set has been compared to Patrick Mahomes'. So this type of play may not work for other prospects, especially any player who isn't a virtual lock to be a top-three pick.
