Just about everyone in the nation is expecting the Chicago Bears to use the No. 1 pick in next month’s NFL draft on Caleb Williams, the impressive quarterback from the University of Southern California.
That expectation was seemingly chiseled in stone when the Bears traded Justin Fields, their starting QB last season, to the Pittsburgh Steelers just days ago.
USC held its Pro Day on Wednesday, and when Williams was asked if he expects the Bears to take him, he expressed the view that nothing is for certain, per Jori Epstein.
“I wouldn’t say it’s my full expectation. Obviously, things can happen. Things can change. … Control what you can control,” Williams said.
Does Caleb Williams fully expect the Chicago Bears to draft him next month?
“I wouldn’t say it’s my full expectation. Obviously, things can happen. Things can change. … Control what you can control.” pic.twitter.com/Xb2LFYwWpv
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) March 20, 2024
Williams threw for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2023, and the previous season, he had 4,537 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns, which earned him the Heisman Trophy.
While he isn’t a strong runner like fellow top QB prospects Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, he has run for 21 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Chicago hasn’t had a truly elite quarterback since Sid Luckman all the way back in the 1940s, and their fans are surely salivating over the near-eventuality of securing a potential franchise signal-caller in the draft.
The team now appears to have a playoff-caliber roster, with D.J. Moore and the recently acquired Keenan Allen at wide receiver, D’Andre Swift at running back, and a number of studs on defense.
All they may need to make the playoffs for just the third time since 2010 is a high-level quarterback, and Williams should be able to give them just that, although one can never know for sure what will happen at the NFL draft.
NEXT:
Caleb Williams Gives His Honest Thoughts About Bears