Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles opened up to the media this week about his team’s pre-draft preparations and according to him, they let first-overall pick Caleb Williams sweat it out up until draft night. There was every indication that Chicago would choose the former USC star, but it wasn’t until he saw the phone number with the area code pop up that he knew where he was going.
“No, no, no (I didn’t tell him), I think he knew though,” Poles said on the Pat McAfee Show.
Even though Poles didn’t tip off his new star quarterback about the team’s plans, the Bears GM picked him out as his top choice early on. His meetings and visits with the Bears staff only solidified what they saw on tape. As much as the talking heads on TV liked to heighten the drama with speculation, Chicago didn’t waver from their decision and they were the only team to host him for a top-30 visit.
“His film was the film that stood out and kind of had my heart from the beginning,” Poles said. “But as we spent more time with Caleb, did our homework and got to know each other, it became clearer and clearer.
“I feel like with any relationship you’re about to start, you have to see the person, spend real time with them, not take anyone else’s thoughts. We sat down, we had dinner together. Our entire staff got to spend time with him. Some of our players spent time with him as well, that means a lot to me and to the locker room. Once those boxes got checked, we didn’t care what anyone else said.”
Chicago Bears sold on Williams as future of the franchise
Williams put together an impressive college career, starting at Oklahoma in 2021 and finishing with two years at USC. His biggest season came as a sophomore in 2022 when he threw for 4,537 yards, ran for 382 yards and totaled 50 touchdowns – 40 in the air and 10 on the ground. That helped him bring home the Heisman Trophy. Once he won the Heisman, his name shot to the top of the draft boards for 2024.
Williams didn’t see the same type of success in 2023, but his numbers still impressed. He threw for 3,633 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to go with 11 rushing scores. USC had an up-and-down year en route to a 7-5 record as the defense struggled, but Williams’ draft stock didn’t change. He’ll now try to be the franchise quarterback Bears fans have been waiting to see.
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