We can’t say that the suspense kept us on the edge of our seats, while the Bears had their eyes on Williams for several weeks already.
Williams impressed his future team during a dinner with several Bears players last month. He showed that there was more to him than Hollywood style.
“It was good for them to come back to the office and talk about who I am rather than what people see about me every day,” Williams said Wednesday.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles was convinced Williams was the right choice after receiving positive feedback from veterans.
“He came across as a very good teammate, easy to talk to and humble,” Poles said earlier this week. He is focused on football, he wants to work, improve and win. This is the priority for him in addition to being successful. We wondered if it would fit into our culture and what we’re trying to accomplish. All signs point in this direction.”
The Washington Commanders followed by selecting quarterback Jayden Daniels at the second level. The New England Patriots also selected a quarterback third overall, Drake Maye.
The Arizona Cardinals broke the quarterback trend by setting their sights on wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at fourth overall. The Los Angeles Chargers began the Jim Harbaugh era by selecting left tackle Joe Alt to complete the top-5.
Williams, 22, just completed his third season in the NCAA, and his second with the University of Southern California Trojans. He completed 266 of 388 passes for 3,333 yards, with 30 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He also had 11 ground majors in 2023.
Six-foot-one and 214 pounds, Williams finished his NCAA career with 93 touchdown passes, compared to 14 interceptions, and had 9,782 air yards. He also had 27 rushing touchdowns, with gains of 966 yards.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy and college player of the year in 2022 after the Trojans went 11-3. However, they lost 46-45 to the Tulane University Green Wave at the Cotton Bowl.
In 2023, the Trojans struggled a bit more, going 8-5. Williams was not on the field when his team beat the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Holiday Bowl.
Williams became the eighth quarterback to be selected first overall in the draft in the last 10 years. He succeeds Brice Young, the chosen one of the Carolina Panthers in 2023.
The Bears were also in this position due to a major transaction with the Panthers, before the last draft. They traded the first overall pick to North Carolina in exchange for receiver DJ Moore, a reversal of a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 first-round pick.
The Panthers finished last season with a 2-15 record, the worst in the NFL, giving the Bears the No. 1 overall pick for the team’s first time during the Super Bowl era.
The Chicago team needed a quarterback since it traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 16. Fields was the Bears’ first-round pick in 2021, the 11th overall, but he won just 10 of his 38 games with the team.
The Bears finished last season with a 7-10 record. They also selected receiver Rome Odunze ninth overall.
2024-04-25 07:00:00
#NFL #Bears #draft #Caleb #Williams
