NFL Coach: Caleb Williams Gives 'Russell Wilson Vibe' with 'Lack of Self-Awareness'

Amid all of the excitement about Caleb Williams' impending arrival in the NFL when he will presumably be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft on Thursday, one assistant coach in the league is pouring a little bit of cold water on the 2022 Heisman winner.

Speaking to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, an anonymous offensive assistant described Williams as giving off a "Russell Wilson vibe with this lack of self-awareness."

The coach did make sure to say Williams is a "ridiculous" player who "can do anything" on the field, but there are times "just a little where you want to see him be a more regular guy."

"Are you gonna be able to coach him or is he gonna be more worried about his marketing team?" the coach asked.

Any of these questions about Williams seem to be more directed at people in his camp than anything he's done.

The Athletic's Kalyn Kahler reported in February that Carl Williams, Caleb's father, at least broached the topic with agents about his son potentially getting an ownership stake from the organization that drafts him.

Carl has been a topic of discussion dating back to September when he was featured in Sam Schube's GQ article about Caleb. In the story, Carl didn't hold back about his dislike for the draft process:

"The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league—because of their desire for parity—gets the first pick. So it's the gift and the curse. I mean, I've talked to Archie Manning—his career was shot because he went to a horrible organization. I've talked to Lincoln [Riley], and Kyler [Murray] struggled because of where he was drafted. Baker [Mayfield] struggled mightily because of where he was drafted. The organizations matter."

There was speculation at one point that Williams didn't want to play for the Chicago Bears, who own the No. 1 pick. He denied that in an interview with ESPN's Pete Thamel during the NFL scouting combine.

"If I get drafted by the Bears, I'll be excited," Williams said. "If they trade the pick, and I get drafted by someone else, I'm just as excited. Speaking about Chicago, they have a talented team, a talented offense and defense. For anyone to be in that situation, I think they'd be excited."

Williams is going to have a team that helps manage and promote his brand, as is the case with any star player or high-level prospect.

No one had a major problem with Wilson's brand management until his play started to decline. Openly questioning if Williams might be more focused on what happens to him off the field before he does anything on it in the NFL seems unfair.