The Chicago Bears are said to be on the precipice of a franchise-altering moment in their long and storied history. They’re now days away from drafting USC blue-chip quarterback prospect and consensus Mr. Everything, Caleb Williams with the very first selection of this upcoming NFL draft.
When the Bears front office took the calculated gamble of trading away their overall no. 1 pick in last year’s draft to the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver DJ Moore and a haul of draft capital, they had no idea that one of the prizes returned to them would be this year’s overall no. 1.
As things would turn out, that trade would be of the “blessings from the gods” variety and one that could very well turn the struggling Bears franchise into a long-term winner.
But all of that pretty much depends on how well Williams develops in the pros and, before that, of course, it depends on the Bears actually picking Williams.
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Chicago will do just that. All signs point to Williams and only Williams with that first pick. But there’s always that shadow of a doubt and the possibility that something crazy might happen to flip the script on draft day.
The Chicago Bears Must Draft Caleb Williams
One particular long-time media expert is desperately insisting that the Bears need to select Williams.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who has more than thirty years in the game, says that Caleb Williams to the Bears is the ONLY option for a sane-minded Bears team.
Kiper Speaks on Williams
“I know there’s about a million mocks out there these days but in terms of Caleb Williams, I think you look at the 120 touchdowns over the last three years,” Kiper said during an ESPN segment. “Going back to Oklahoma when he took over for [Spencer] Rattler in that Texas game, he was lights out, okay? Twenty-seven rushing touchdowns over the last three years. Guess what? That’s equal to Jayden Daniels, who was considered the Lamar Jackson of this draft.
“So, Caleb Williams played with a bad offensive line, no [wide receiver] Jordan Addison this past year, he was phenomenal in 2022. And think about Ryan Poles the [Bears] GM. When he was director of college scouting with the Kansas City Chiefs not that long ago, he was responsible as well, with others, for the drafting of Patrick Mahomes. So, Caleb Williams…100 percent, he’s got to be the Chicago Bears’ pick at number one overall.”
There are, however, experts critical of Williams and his game, as well as his temperament.
Criticism of Caleb Williams is Infrequent, but Loud
Former NFL running back Merril Hoge recently went against the grain and blasted Williams and the perceived hype surrounding his future.
“The one thing that is clear [is that] he is not special,” Hoge told NBC Sports Chicago. “He is not something unique like Patrick Mahomes. And I hope the Bears don’t think ‘Well, let’s try to make up for our mistake for when we passed on Patrick Mahomes and go get Patrick Mahomes.’ The kid is not Patrick Mahomes. He ain’t even remotely close to that.”
“First of all, his ability to throw on the run is very disturbing,” Hoge added. “It is very inaccurate and it’s all over the place. There’s a ton of RPO, which nobody is going to RPO themselves to a Super Bowl in our league…You gotta push the ball down the field. There are times when he does that. He doesn’t play with a lot of anticipation because of all the clean pockets that exist for him.
“The thing that’s disturbing me right now is his inability to be consistent on the move as a thrower. And he’s willing to do that a lot more than he has to. You don’t have that choice in our league…I don’t see anything magical with his arm. There’s not enough there at this point for me to be like we’re getting rid of Justin Fields and bring this guy in, who’s never played in the National Football League and has to overcome all of those hurdles just to give us a chance to win.”
That’s a pretty harsh analysis for a player already being compared to greats such as Aaron Rodgers.
Despite the scattered critical voices, it looks as though the Bears will indeed
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