With their first No. 1 pick in 77 years, the Chicago Bears hope they have selected their best quarterback in more than a century of football.
Caleb Williams is officially a Bear. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC and the most electric quarterback in college football the past two seasons comes to Chicago as the franchise’s third first-round quarterback in the past eight seasons.
The Bears have never had a 4,000-yard passer. They’ve never had a quarterback throw 30 touchdown passes in a season. The expectation is that Williams will change that.
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‘The Beast’ breakdown
Williams ranked No. 1 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“What makes him special is his poise and mobility to masterfully buy time and create second-chance plays, although he tends to be overconfident in his ability to find answers among the chaos. He led the FBS in touchdowns (120) and ‘wow’ plays over the last three years, but he also led the country in fumbles (33) over that same span and needs to take better care of the football. Overall, Williams needs to be more consistent working on-schedule from the pocket, but you live with the hiccups because the positives are special with his dynamic passing skills and instinctive ability to create. Though stylistically he is like a really impressive karaoke-style version of Patrick Mahomes, he is truly unique as a playmaker.”
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Coaching intel
What an anonymous coach had to say about Williams in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“That kid is a magician. He just pulls stuff out of his ass. That program (USC) was in disarray. Without Caleb (last year), I think they go 4-8 easy. I think he is phenomenal. He’s extremely accurate off of his back foot and on the run. He needs to keep working on throwing on time and getting on rhythm.”
Why he’s a first-round pick
The awards poured in for Williams after his first season at USC in 2022. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award and was voted a unanimous All-American and the Pac-12 offensive player of the year. He deserved all of it. He threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns (against five interceptions) and scored 10 more on the ground that season. Williams entered the conversation for the first pick in the 2024 draft because of it all. Williams didn’t have the same individual success during his final season as a Trojan. USC also had a worse record. But Williams’ standing as one of the top QBs in this draft class never changed. His numbers — 3,633 passing yards, 30 touchdown passes, 11 rushing touchdowns — still resulted in honorable mention recognition in the Pac-12.
.@CALEBcsw making magic happen 🪄
📺: ABC
📱: https://t.co/M1RwFNxzJl— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 5, 2023
How he fits
Williams is the Bears’ starter on Day 1. He’ll be surrounded by talent: receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, running back D’Andre Swift and an offensive line featuring right tackle Darnell Wright. Expectations also are high for coach Matt Eberflus’ defense in 2024 after its strong finish last season and its talent level. Overall, it’s a good situation for a rookie quarterback to join. Williams is surrounded by proven veterans but also leaders who can ease his transition into the NFL.
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Rookie impact
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud’s rookie season won’t help temper expectations for Williams. Stroud led all quarterbacks in passing yards per game (273.9), surpassed 4,000 passing yards (something no Bears QB has ever done) and won rookie of the year honors. There might be some pressure to replace Justin Fields, a fan favorite. But that’s more of an external conversation than one happening internally at Halas Hall. But statistically speaking, Fields set a low bar for Williams to clear as a passer. Over three seasons as the Bears’ starter. Fields averaged a 60.3 completion percentage, 166.9 passing yards per game, 82.3 passer rating and an adjusted net yards/attempt of 4.77.
Depth-chart impact
Williams will step in as the starter once OTAs begin next month. This won’t be like Mitchell Trubisky waiting four weeks behind Mike Glennon or Fields waiting behind Andy Dalton. Williams will be the no-doubt starter. He will get all the first-team reps from the get-go, which should only benefit his development ahead of his rookie season. Williams’ backup will likely be Tyson Bagent, last year’s undrafted rookie who won two games as a starter. Veteran Brett Rypien is also in the quarterbacks room.
They also could have picked ….
Once the Bears traded Fields, there was no question they would stay at No. 1. General manager Ryan Poles and his staff did its due diligence and certainly looked at every available quarterback. Before trading Fields, they had conversations about keeping him and trading back. But ultimately, Williams — by most accounts — is the most gifted player in this draft at the most important position, and he has the ability to unlock what the Bears have been missing at quarterback for decades.
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Bears GM Ryan Poles getting strong feedback on QB Caleb Williams
Fast evaluation
This has been about six months in the making. Once the Panthers began to tailspin their way to the worst record in football, this was a very real possibility. When Fields didn’t play at a high enough level consistently, it became pretty inevitable. By March, we knew that Williams would be a Bear, and now we see if he can live up to the hype, and if the Bears can finally get it right.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
