Caleb Williams Unsurprisingly Appears Ready To Drag Out The 'Will He, Won't He' With NFL Draft Declaration

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USC quarterback Caleb Williams can, and almost certainly will, declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. However, not ready to give up the spotlight on that decision, he hinted on Wednesday that he might not.

C'mon, Caleb. We see what you're doing here.

Williams won the Heisman Trophy last year but failed to replicate the performance this season. The USC Trojans badly underperformed as a whole. Despite that, Williams projects as a Top 5 NFL Draft pick, likely Top 3, and possibly #1 overall.

Yet, he's non-committal on officially declaring his intention to enter.

He told the Los Angeles Times that he will make a "game-time decision" on declaring for the NFL Draft. He has until January 15 to decide.

Unsurprisingly, he plans to drag this out until the final days.

USC QB Caleb Williams plans to drag out his decision on whether or not to enter the 2024 NFL Draft because of course he does.

USC QB Caleb Williams plans to drag out his decision on whether or not to enter the 2024 NFL Draft because...of course he does. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Williams appears to live for the drama. Whether it's bawling his eyes out in his mother's arms in the stands after a game, painting his nails with profanity-laced messaging, or even skipping media availability altogether to avoid tough questions, Williams makes himself the center of every story.

So, when it comes to his NFL Draft decision, I'd expect nothing less.

In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if he went the LeBron James route and partnered with ESPN to do an hour-length show called "The NFL Draft Decision ... Featuring Caleb Williams" (He's not going to do it without his name in the title).

Previously, Williams hinted that he might not declare for the NFL Draft if the team with the No. 1 pick isn't a team he wants to play for.

But all of that is just noise. Caleb Williams isn't passing up the opportunity to enter the NFL Draft and start the clock on his second contract.

Rookie contracts in the NFL are scaled, so Williams can't fully cash-in until after his fourth season in the league. The sooner he reaches the league, the sooner he can chase that money. I'm not faulting him for that, it's exactly what I would do.

But, let's stop the pretending that's not going to happen to keep the spotlight burning a little longer.

After all, he certainly doesn't have to worry about attending a Heisman Trophy ceremony this year and getting free publicity from that.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.