He was the top pick in the NFL draft, a quarterback considered a generational talent selected by an NFC North team coming off a losing season.

Caleb Williams?

No, Matthew Stafford.

In 2009, a few months after finishing 0-16, the Detroit Lions selected Stafford No. 1. It took Stafford a few seasons to find his feet. Now – more than fifteen seasons later – he is trying to move into the top ten in various passing categories.

Williams, this year’s No. 1 pick, is three games into his first season with the Chicago Bears. He is also an admirer of Stafford, and on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, Stafford and the Rams will try to prevent a breakout from the former USC star.

Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, has passed for two touchdowns, with four interceptions, for a team that is 1-2 after a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It may not be a spectacular start for the Williams, but the 36-year-old Stafford pointed out that the 22-year-old rookie is just getting started.

Caleb Williams points to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is wearing a Williams No. 1 Chicago Bears jersey held up after the USC product was picked first overall in the 2024 draft.

(Jeff Roberson/Associated Press)

“He’s obviously extremely talented,” Stafford said. “He makes plays every week that you see on TV that blow you away as a quarterback. I sit there and say, ‘Man, that’s incredible stuff.’ And then I’m sure there are plays he wants back, just like we all do.

“So he seems like a sharp kid. … I’m sure he’ll find out more and more as he continues to play, and I’m sure he’ll have a great career.

Rams coach Sean McVay agrees.

“There’s a reason why it was kind of understood that he would be the No. 1 overall pick and I think that’s earned and deserved,” McVay said. “Just look at the tape, there’s a lot of good stuff you’ve seen.”

Williams first noticed Stafford as a byproduct of watching highlights of Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson’s ability to thrive despite the triple coverage amazed him.

“I got a little older,” Williams told reporters in Chicago, “and kind of realized how good Matthew Stafford is at his job.”

Williams noted how Stafford controls the game. Its efficiency. How he makes passes from different angles. And his knowledge of opponents.

“He knows where defensive players are going to be,” Williams said. “so he can move them on a string.”

These traits helped put Stafford on the cusp of displacing Eli Manning for 10th for career passing yardage.

During a 16-year career with the New York Giants, Manning won two Super Bowls and passed for 57,023 yards. Stafford, a Super Bowl champion, has passed for 56,801 yards. He needs 223 on Sunday to get past Manning.

“He’s been doing it for a while and so when you look at someone like that, who has had as much success as he has, you want to learn from that,” Williams said. “So it will be exciting to go against him.”

Williams, who was given a four-year contract worth $39.5 million, will work under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, a former McVay assistant.

In a season-opening 24–17 win over the Tennessee Titans, Williams completed 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards. He was fired twice.

In a game against Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud – another Stafford fan – Williams was 23 for 37 for 174 yards, with two interceptions, in a 19-13 loss. He was fired seven times.

Last Sunday, Williams completed 33 of 52 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions, in the 21-16 loss to the Colts.

Stafford knows the ups and downs a No. 1 pick will experience in his first season. As a rookie, he started 10 games. The Lions won two and lost eight. He passed for 13 touchdowns with 20 interceptions.

“It hasn’t all been easy for me,” he said, “there’s no doubt about that.”

Stafford said he leaned on teammates, coaches and family so it wasn’t something he just “shouldered.”

“There were some big highs and there were some big lows in terms of my play and our team’s performance and all that stuff,” Stafford said. “But it is a learning opportunity, a chance to discover what you can and cannot do.”

Stafford said one of the reasons he plays is for the respect of teammates and opponents. So he’s been humbled by the admiration of younger quarterbacks like Stroud and Williams.

“It’s cool,” he said. “I feel old, but I accept it.”