Dynasty Rookie Draft Player Comps: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Brock Bowers

As someone who has obsessed over football since kindergarten, I feel like my football player recall is strong enough to draw some really unique (and hopefully astute) comparisons for this year’s promising fantasy football fledglings. Details from size, style, skillset and even personality will enter the fold. The 2024 rookies are a stellar group and I wish them the best of luck in reaching the zenith where future prospects will be compared to them.

Prospect Matches

Caleb Williams (QB – USC) → Baker Mayfield

No, this is not a knock on the presumptive top pick in the draft. Baker Mayfield set the rookie record for touchdown passes his first year in Cleveland and led that franchise to its first playoff berth in ages. The pocket awareness and ability to make dazzling throws off-script are where the similarities begin. Caleb Williams has more arm talent and plays a bit tougher for his size within the pocket than Mayfield, which gives him a stratospheric ceiling in the NFL. Their spicy personalities that rub some people the wrong way are also similar. Williams will feel dangerous in the league for a very long time.

Jayden Daniels (QB – LSU) → Marcus Mariota

Again, I resent anyone who thinks comparing a prospect to a Heisman-winning QB is somehow an insult to either. Marcus Mariota was utterly unstoppable at Oregon and he has the same lanky build with freaky athleticism. Jayden Daniels has a much more compact throwing motion and has already exhibited passing traits that exceed what Mariota brought to the NFL. Daniels is also a much more dangerous runner than the former Ducks legend, with more top-end speed and agility. Stylistically, they are eerily similar. Daniels could easily become a better pro signal-caller than the Hawaiian legend.

Brock Bowers (TE – Georgia) → Brent Jones

If you don’t know who Brent Jones is fire up your favorite search engine and check the bio. He was an unstoppable force at Santa Clara University in the 1980s and was drafted by the Steelers before joining the 49ers the next season. He enjoyed an illustrious 11-year career in the NFL, winning three Super Bowls in San Francisco. Brock Bowers, also a stud Northern California TE prospect, is poised to match (or surpass) Jones’ four Pro Bowl selections and three seasons as an All-Pro.

Jones was a converted WR who held the 49ers’ records for receptions and receiving yards by a TE until Vernon Davis eclipsed them. Bowers is also a tad undersized for a TE but he has incredible traits as a receiving weapon and even as a ball-carrying threat. He was an unstoppable force for two Georgia national championship teams and is considered by many to be the best TE in the history of college football. Bowers will go in the first round of the upcoming draft and start from day one. He is truly special and I hope to shout him out for at least the next decade as the next great thing to come from my neck of the woods.