Caleb Williams is still expected to hear his name called first during next week’s draft, but the USC quarterback didn’t make the best impression on teams during the pre-draft process. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Williams’ interviews with teams were described as “good, not great” and “just OK.”
As Fowler notes, Williams declined medical exams and only did a handful of interviews, where he didn’t show the same poise and preparation as his fellow QB prospects. Naturally, some teams assumed this was a “byproduct of being a player who knows he’s going No. 1.” While Williams’ pre-draft strategy wasn’t considered a personality red flag by scouts, one AFC executive believes Williams left the door open for the Bears to pivot.
“I don’t think he’s had a great spring,” the executive told Fowler. “He’s still going first. That’s pretty much a done deal. But while he was a no-brainer three months ago, there’s at least a conversation now. Even still, I think he’s a smart kid, a good kid. He just knows where he’s going.”
Perhaps partly due to Williams’ offseason showing, there are some coaches who have actually graded LSU’s Jayden Daniels over the USC QB, per Adam Caplan of ProFootballNetwork.com. Of course, the only opinion that matters belongs to the Bears, but this recent grading adjustment at least leads Caplan to surmise that Daniels will be selected ahead of North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
While Maye is an underdog to be selected in the top-two, it’s no longer a guarantee that he’s even chosen with the third-overall pick. As Albert Breer of SI.com notes, there’s a “healthy debate” in New England between Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. While there’s still a chance the Patriots trade out of the No. 3 spot in pursuit of future picks, Breer believes owner Robert Kraft “views this as a rare chance to get a quarterback at this level.” The organization has certainly made it clear they’re eyeing all of the top-tier prospects, as the Patriots have met with Daniels, Maye, and McCarthy.
Washington is currently sitting with the second-overall pick, and they’ve been equally active in scouting QB prospects. Interestingly, the team will be hosting all of Daniels, Maye, McCarthy, and Washington’s Michael Penix for their top-30 visits at the same time, per Breer. This stems from GM Adam Peters‘ experience from San Francisco, where the 49ers would bring in groupings of prospects to see how they interact with peers.
With the Cardinals and Chargers likely out of the running for a top QB prospect, the Giants are next in line at the position behind Chicago, Washington, and New England. There’s been recent buzz that the Giants could look to move up (per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post) or even move back (per Fowler, via WBG84), but either way, it’s pretty clear the organization is targeting a signal-caller.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic believes the Giants are high enough on Maye that they’d swing a trade up the draft board. The writer also believes the organization isn’t enamored with McCarthy, perhaps necessitating a trade back if the Michigan QB is there at No. 6. If the Giants do end up trading back, Duggan could see a scenario where the team is actively pursuing Penix or Oregon’s Bo Nix in the back half of the first round.
See? I told you there were Ryan Leaf vibes around Caleb Williams!
(Not to mention USC flushing O.J. down the memory hole.)
Lol what an unhinged comment, how many times have you and Caleb Williams spoken? He’s gonna win a super bowl in Chicago(I can out unhinge anyone) and everyone in the city is gonna paint their nails and get pink phones
There are zero Ryan Leaf vibes. This was a whole lot of nothing.
Interviews were described as “good, not great.”
“Even still, I think he’s a smart kid, a good kid. He just knows where he’s going.”
“Williams’ pre-draft strategy wasn’t considered a personality red flag by scouts”
Nothing here at all. Just the Commanders and Patriots trying to get in the heads of the Bears’ front office to drop him to them.
Williams screams bust and Chicago is terrible with QBs. Perfect recipe for success!
@joparx I’ve been saying all year that Caleb Williams is the next Ryan Leaf. Chicago made a huge mistake with Fields & a soon to be even worse mistake taking him 1st
Sounds like a bunch of people who don’t know how to evaluate QBs.
Merril Hodge has been pretty accurate with his analysis of QBs coming out of college. Even if the “experts” don’t agree at the time.
Him saying Caleb Williams isn’t special definitely holds weight.
link to nbcsportschicago.com
Merril “I like Brian Brohm better than Aaron Rodgers” Hodge?
Merril I like stroud better than young and I wouldn’t draft Manziel Hodge
Liking Stroud better than Young wasn’t exactly a profound opinion. Feeling that Manziel was too much of a headache and had physical limitations probably wasn’t even a minority opinion.
It actually was. Stroud literally had his character work ethic and abilities as a QB questioned beyond belief especially as draft grew closer and young separated himself as clear QB1.
Yet Manziel went in the 1st and many teams had him ranked as a 1st round pick back in the day.
it’s fun to look back and say “well duh” but at the time those weren’t the feelings expressed by people in the industry. Which is the point.
link to si.com
I can’t imagine why an NFL team hasn’t hired you yet? With such insight, you’re a diamond in the rough!
@Buffalobob88: If you have been saying that all year, then what happens if Williams comes to the Bears and is everything they say he is?
Im not sold on Williams, but with the Bears likely drafting him, I hope he is what the experts say he will be. Thats all, he has red flags to me, but all players do. I thought the Bears should have kept Fields and build around him by trading the #1 pick for another #1 next year and more this season. However it is what it is the dye has been cast, running around witha sandwich board talking about how the Bears are doomed does not help anything at this point. I guess that is what is wonderful about the internet. Do nothing but trash a guy and if you turn out wrong, then just change your screen name and rewrite your own history saying you always thought he would pan out. If Williams pans out I have no problem saying I was wrong and Ill be glad I was as I want to see the Bears have a good QB and win consistently for a change. However, Im guessing most like you will change your screen name and rewrite your history and say you always knew he would be good…
Gosh, I’m shocked that there are people talking trash about the presumptive number one overall pick. Was it Joey Bosa who wore shorts to meet the Browns, because he knew there was no way he was falling to them?
I get that I like Daniels less than most. However, I don’t know why we’re talking about McCarthy as rising out of nowhere when we’ve now apparently got people putting Daniels as the top overall player in the draft. I have questions about Williams, too. But this is a bit ridiculous to me.
It’s absolutely absurd to me to consider either Daniels or McCarthy as better than Williams. For that matter, I don’t think either are better than Maye or Penix.
I agree 100%. I don’t quite get how some of these players have mysteriously gotten better since the football season ended.
There is no shortage of franchise QB needy teams and egos in the NFL
I’m not shocked QBs are riding up the board happens every off season. Anthony Richardson went #4 overall last year for example.
Been happening since the Gabbert Locker Ponder draft, earliest I remember, and probably before too.
It’s no shocker Denver/Payton, Vikings/O Connell think their offensive scheme can yield a franchise qb.
Crazy how teams judge players attitude and interviews so heavily and not there actual game play. I guess that’s why you have guys like Lamar end up going late in the first round and being two time MVP’s and teams chose to have good guys go first.
I understand you don’t want to draft someone who will have off field issues and cause locker room problems but end of the day your going to pay him almost regardless if he gets good results just look at DeShaum Watson.
Personally Williams is going to be a clear cut number 1 but I don’t see him being a top 5 QB in the league. He will be a solid starter like Dak or Kyler not a Pat Mahomes, Josh Allen.
As for the other guys I’m not high on any of them apart from Bo Nix, I think he’s going to be decent. Would like to see him land on a team with a good QB but behind a starter so he can take over in a couple years. Seattle would be cool or the Rams maybe
You say solid starter but then list two QBs who have been anything but solid. You are exactly backwards with your Deshaun Watson comment. Watson got paid based on how blatantly absurd and coordinated the money grubbing scam against him was. He doesn’t have personality or locker room issues. He has issues getting rub and tugs from people who would extort him. Williams is unprofessional and immature. He thinks he is better than he is, or at least he acts like it, and that causes problems. Nobody cares what color his nails are, that’s a generational issue. Name the last Heismann winning QB who went on to be a top QB in the NFL. Also, every year we get one of these “better than the rest” QB prospects anointed by the media who then ends up not being the best QB from that draft class. And each year, typically one, maybe two, QB prospects actually pan out at all.
I didn’t know you met Caleb. Had you said that I would have changed my opinion. You’re an idiot and know nothing and now everyone knows it but you. Crawl back under your pillow and call for mommy troll.
Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton—all Heisman winners who are or were top QBs.
Baker Mayfield had an inconsistent start to his career, but he’s rounding into a very solid starter. Robert Griffin III and Sam
Bradford both won ROY—so their teams weren’t wrong for drafting them, it’s just that things fell apart after the early success. Carson Palmer had an excellent career. He wasn’t quite superstar-level, but he was top 5 in AP Player of the Year voting three times.
So, I’d say it’s quite common for Heisman-winning QBs to succeed in the NFL.
Who cares how good someone is if they aren’t going to take it seriously like Johnny manziel
Williams isn’t interested in being a Bear. That’s why the interview sucked. I can’t blame him.
Where in the interview did it say the interview with the Bears sucked? I mean its possible, as Im not paying ESPN to read an article, but by all accounts the Bears interviews went as well as they could, and left the Bears impressed.
I’m not sold on Williams, but he is likely going to be on the Bears and hopefully he performs up to the expectations.
Re-read the article
Are you talking about the article above where he said meetings with certain teams sucked? Again where specifically did it say that his Bears interview ‘sucked’? Is it in the ESPN+ article or is it somewhere else? I have seen NOTHING anywhere else that reports this, other than your comment. I have seen articles to the contrary that the Bears have been nothing but impressed with him, and I get that they have to say that before the draft, however, one would presume that if the draft him, it was not BS.
I mean I could be wrong. Show a quote from the article where, specifically, the interview with the Bears reportedly ‘sucked’. As if its in the ESPN article Im not going to be able to see it (as most are not paying for ESPN service to see one article).
What am I missing?