During his pre-draft visit with the club this spring, USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams had dinner with multiple veteran Chicago Bears players.
General manager Ryan Poles spoke with reporters on Tuesday and indicated those players gave Williams a passing grade.
“Really intelligent guy,” Poles said, per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. “Came across as a really good teammate, easy to talk to, down to earth. We’ve talked through this process about the whole ‘Hollywood’ thing. He’s all ball, wants to work, wants to get better, wants to win as a team. That’s the No. 1 thing for him on top of being successful. I think the biggest thing is: Does he fit in our culture and what we’re trying to do? And all signs were that he does, so that was positive.”
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson interestingly warned Williams back in March to not “bring that Hollywood stuff into the building” following the draft. Since Johnson’s comment, numerous individuals around the league have voiced serious concerns about Williams’ personality and how his supposed off-the-field interests could impact what he’ll be as a full-time NFL QB1.
Despite such takes, analysts have continued to predict that Chicago will make Williams the first pick on Thursday night. Poles declined on Tuesday to announce his plans but revealed enough to cause outsiders to form their own conclusions.
“I think it just confirmed a lot of information that we got,” Poles added about Williams’ Bears visit. “You know, there’s a kind of test to where his football understanding is. That part, getting him with some of our players. That’s important to us. We’re in a really good place with our culture in our locker room. As much as I can, I want those guys a part of the process of building this team. I trust their feedback, and I think that chemistry is really important, so that’s why we did that.”
As of late Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Williams as a massive -20000 betting favorite to be the first pick on Thursday. Those who have named Jayden Daniels of the LSU Tigers as the best quarterback in this year’s draft class may ultimately be proven right, but they clearly aren’t changing Poles’ mind about Williams.