The Chicago Bears are on the clock with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and former USC football quarterback Caleb Williams is perceived to be the slam-dunk, home run pick. Not everyone is on board with the idea of Williams being the Bears’ savior, however, including former Alabama football quarterback Greg McElroy. McElroy had stark words for Williams recently that caused the ex-Trojan to fire back with his own thoughts on the situation.
The news came during a Williams update that will have pro-Williams Bears fans smiling with contentment. The Bears have an entire draft to prepare for and are hoping to score sleeper selections like these three guys who could help the team progress more quickly on the field next season.
Now, McElroy is sharing his #1 concern with Williams ahead of April 25’s NFL Draft in the Motor City.
Williams’ Biggest Potential Issue, Revealed
McElroy laid it all out on the table in a wide-ranging interview with football pundit Kevin Clark on Tuesday morning. The Bears are continuously being mocked as selecting Williams number one overall, despite many fans’ feelings of uncertainty surrounding Williams’ intangibles and win-loss record last season.
The video was posted to X and has been viewed one million times, resurrecting the debate about Williams’ fitness for the number one overall pick position. According to McElroy, Williams seems a bit too mild compared to past number one overall picks who have succeeded at the highest level in the NFL. He feels as though Williams doesn’t have the same ‘chip on his shoulder’ that other top NFL prospects have had in the past.
“I do wonder about, is there a sense of entitlement?” McElroy asked, while referencing three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady in the process.
Bears NFL Draft Outlook for 2024
The Bears have an ’embarrassment’ of riches in the 2024 NFL Draft and are picking both #1 and #9 overall. Recently, the team’s general manager Ryan Poles issued a directive about the ninth overall pick to team staffers, instructing them to comb through various position groups at key positions of need.
While the Bears had a rough 2023 in the NFC North division, which was won by the rival Detroit Lions, the team’s offseason moves have given them more flexibility heading into the 2024 NFL Draft according to the team’s head coach Matt Eberflus.
“We’re going to get a ‘blue’ [the highest-rated prospect by how the team color codes its draft board] player there for sure,” Matt Eberflus said. “What we’ve done in free agency allows us to be flexible, to really be able to take the best player, the one we feel fits for us in that spot.”
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