Top Expert Has Caleb Williams Ranked Over Some Legendary QB Prospects
The Chicago Bears got some great fortune when they landed the #1 overall pick for the second time this off-season. After passing on a quarterback last year, everybody is convinced GM Ryan Poles is prepared to move on from Justin Fields. The only question is who it will be for. If you ask almost every national insider with credible connections, they’ll tell you the same thing. It is Caleb Williams of USC. Chicago has been zeroed in on him since the off-season began in January, or at least it seems that way. Such conviction makes some Bears fans nervous. This might be another Mitch Trubisky situation where the GM falls in love with a prospect without seriously considering others.
All signs point to that not being the case. The Bears have done their due diligence throughout the process, meeting with every potential top-10 quarterback. Yet nothing has changed. Williams remains the heavy favorite to go #1 to Chicago. Is this a case of a player being way overhyped thanks to his fun highlights, or is this serious? Matt Miller of ESPN is widely considered one of the top draft evaluators in the field. He made one thing abundantly clear on 670 The Score.
The gap between Williams and everybody else, including Justin Fields, is massive.
“I would take Caleb Williams over Justin Fields every day and twice on Sunday. This is not a hard conversation, guys. I will say two things about this. Number one, let’s talk about the trade market for Justin Fields or the fact that there really isn’t one right now. That should tell you what he’s done at the quarterback (position). What he’s done at quarterback in three years as a starter, the fact the Atlanta Falcons would rather have 36-year-old Kirk Cousins coming off a busted right Achilles, the fact Pittsburgh would rather have Russell Wilson, who’s as washed as washed could be…the lack of a trade market for him should tell those Bears fans that are holding out…it’s been three years. I would argue he has regressed in those three years.
As an evaluation standpoint, Caleb Williams has the highest grade I’ve given a quarterback since I started doing this professionally in 2011. That includes Andrew Luck, that includes Joe Burrow, that includes Trevor Lawrence. Whoever you want to say in that time span. He’s the guy for me.”
Caleb Williams’ question marks aren’t about ability.
Almost every evaluator worth anything has said he has all the tools necessary to thrive in the NFL. What concerns them is the off-the-field stuff. His father is sometimes known for being a distraction, basically acting as Williams’ agent and business manager. Some wonder how hard the quarterback is prepared to work and whether he can handle the pressures of playing in a town like Chicago. Fans won’t give him the same royal treatment as Oklahoma and USC did in college. They will have high expectations from the jump and won’t let it slide if he struggles.
Poles said his primary goal was to find a quarterback that can handle playing in this city. He knows it can be unforgiving. Players need mental toughness above everything else. Based on all the rumors lately, there don’t seem to be any red flags about Caleb Williams in that regard. Yes, he is a different personality but that doesn’t mean he loves football any less. Teammates and coaches alike have described him as a fierce competitor. If he is willing to put in the work, then Miller could be proven correct. Chicago might finally get that elusive franchise quarterback they’ve yearned for.