Multiple Bears' players share thoughts on Caleb Williams potentially being the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
The Chicago Bears had their 2024 NFL Draft plans fully revealed last week after trading away former first round pick Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The road has now been paved for the Bears to select the team's next franchise quarterback with the first overall pick in April's draft with all eyes on USC's […]
The Chicago Bears had their 2024 NFL Draft plans fully revealed last week after trading away former first round pick Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The road has now been paved for the Bears to select the team's next franchise quarterback with the first overall pick in April's draft with all eyes on USC's Caleb Williams, who is expected to be the Bears' top target.
During USC's Pro Day on Wednesday, several members of the Bears' front office and coaching staff made their way to Southern California to formally meet with Williams and spent multiple days together ahead of the event. This has now become the worst kept secret in the entire draft with the Bears planning to select Williams first overall.
"I wouldn’t say it's my full expectation, obviously things could happen and things could change throughout this time," Williams said after his Pro Day at USC. "It's still around 30 days until April 25th. A lot can change and you take it day by day and control what you can control."
Williams is entering the draft has one of the best overall quarterback prospects in recent memory and yet many people are still torn on the expected decision, both in and outside of Chicago, after moving on from Fields.
However, the decision at this point seems inevitable with the Bears expected to have another Top-30 formal visit with Williams in Chicago in the coming weeks.
With the front office's decision seemingly made, a few players on the Bears' roster have started to publicly come out on various networks and voice their thoughts and opinions on Williams potentially being targeted as the team's next quarterback.
"If we get him, I hope he just comes in and just is ready to work," wide receiver DJ Moore said while appearing on 670 The Score earlier this week. "You can't really worry about the legacy of Justin Fields, you just have to go out there and do your own thing. Whoever we draft is whoever we draft and they got to come in and put their best foot forward from the jump. They gotta learn but still, they got this skill set that we probably need."
Keenan Allen, the team's newly acquired six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, has had the best look at Williams while in attendance at his Pro Day earlier this week and was even asked specifically about the top prospect during his first press conference in Chicago after the front office traded for him.
"[He's a] hell of an athlete," Allen said during his introductory press conference in Chicago. "Obviously, he can make tremendous plays with his feet [and] with his arm. Looks like he knows the game really well. He's really good."
The decision to trade for Allen will be a big boost for a rookie quarterback to have on offense. Allen's career has been defined as being a quarterback's go-to guy in the passing game thanks to his sure hands and ability to always get open with his routes.
"I think I'm just a friendly guy. I'm a friendly guy, on and off the field," Allen said. "Obviously on the football field, I know the game. I know the ins and outs. I know the zones. I know how to beat man [coverage]. I know how to play the game. So, I just think I'm friendly for the quarterback because I'll be in the right spots. I know how to communicate with him and my body language is solid too."
The biggest, and most telling, reaction about the Bears targeting Williams with the first overall pick came from Pro Bowl cornerback, and newly extended, Jaylon Johnson, who didn’t hold back about his expectations with a rookie quarterback coming in.
"I feel like you just humble yourself coming into the building," Jaylon Johnson said earlier this week on the Up & Adams show. "You can’t bring that Hollywood stuff into the building and especially not with guys who played this game at a high level for consecutive years in the league. It's just something that guys like myself, guys like Tremaine [Edmunds] and T.J. [Edwards] and just the [veterans]… we're going to see though it. What you did in college… you gotta prove yourself."
"You gotta get to know him too," Johnson added. "I think it's a fine line between trying to prove a point to him but also getting to know him. At the end of the day, we want him to be the absolute best that he can be. That's what we're bringing him in for, is to win games. Depending on what it is that he needs to be pushed at, it's our job and it's our duty as his teammates to make him better and strengthen his weaknesses."
The new era is upon us in Chicago with Williams expected to be at the forefront of the team's future but the expectation remains the same. The team and roster is ready to contend as a playoff team and no one in the building wants to take a step back while waiting for a rookie quarterback to develop.
The resounding belief is that Williams should be expected to hit the ground running from the start and the rest of the established roster will help make sure that's the case next season.
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