The Chicago Bears have made it clear that they’re ready to begin a new era at quarterback and will likely take Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted exactly that in his mock draft 3.0, adding that Chicago has taken steps to “put pieces around him.”
The Bears traded Justin Fields away to the Pittsburgh Steelers and have also brought in receiver Keenan Allen to pair with DJ Moore. They’ve got a budding young offensive line and won seven games a year ago, so could truly be just a superstar away from breaking through.
To Kiper, that superstar is Williams.
“When you put it all together, there’s no other way to go,” he said Tuesday on a SportsCenter special. “He is the master creator. He’s a guy who doesn’t need everything around him to be perfect. He can create. He can put something out there that nobody else can in terms of seeing it, dealing with it, anticipating it and using his magic to get things done. They’re putting pieces around him at the Chicago Bears. They’re an ascending team.”
Williams has long been thought to be the top quarterback prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft even dating back to the beginning of last offseason. He put together an impressive college career, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2022.
Field Yates was in complete agreement of Kiper’s assessment on the fit for Williams in with the Bears. Given the weapons he has already with Moore and Allen, plus the possibility that Chicago could take a receiver at No. 9 overall, he could put up big numbers right away.
“We are looking at a situation with Caleb Williams in Chicago that’s absolutely spectacular relative to how most quarterbacks enter the NFL,” Yates said. “Think about a season ago. A banged up and really a bad offensive line for Carolina that’s been remade this offseason with the No. 1 wide receiver in Adam Thielen who is defying the age but still not on the level of a player like DJ Moore or Keenan Allen or who the Bears might be able to add at pick No. 9 overall. So not only do I agree with Mel in Caleb Williams going No. 1 to the Chicago Bears, but I think instant success is very possible for Caleb Williams in Chicago.”
We’ve already seen rookies step in and lead there teams to the playoffs, with CJ Stroud doing so for the Texans this past season. Stroud won Offensive Rookie of the Year after throwing for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns to only five interceptions.
Chicago hasn’t made a playoff appearance in any of the past three seasons. However, with a player like Williams and the core it is putting around him, that could easily change.
“Now we can talk about how great of a quarterback prospect Caleb Williams is and, as Field was touching on, how great this situation is,” Matt Miller weighed in. “We saw what CJ Stroud did for the Texans last year and I think Caleb Williams can have a similar type of impact with the Chicago Bears this year. Because this is an ascending offensive line. Let’s not forget Braxton Jones at left tackle. We’ve got two more years on a rookie contract there. Last year’s pick Darnell Wright, very solid on the right side. They’ve added so many weapons in the backfield with De’Andre Swift. You’ve added Gerald Everett to go with Cole Kmet at tight end. Keenan Allen, I think a future Hall of Famer, is gonna be a great mentor for DJ Moore. Then as you said, potentially a wide receiver coming in at No. 9 overall. I love this pick. I think it’s been wire-to-wire.
“This is the guy. Now we can move on and start talking about the impact Caleb can have instead of the will they won’t they nature of this pick.”
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