It’s official. USC quarterback Caleb Williams on Monday declared himself eligible for the NFL draft, opening the door for the Chicago Bears to unravel one in all this offseason’s high-stakes riddles.
Before April 25, normal supervisor Ryan Poles and his workers — blessed with the No. 1 choose — must determine whether or not to unite with Williams as their new quarterback. The intricate analysis course of, which already has included stops to see Williams play in individual in addition to complete video research, will go to a brand new dimension over the subsequent three months.
Asked final week what’s crucial a part of quarterback analysis through the pre-draft course of, Poles careworn the necessity to study extra in regards to the wiring and personalities of the prospects.
“It’s not just the film,” he mentioned. “I need the person. There’s a whole process here we have to figure out.”
Poles additionally emphasised the Bears’ intention to spend ample time with the highest quarterbacks on this yr’s draft class, to rise up and shut and private and ask pointed inquiries to study extra about what makes them tick.
“I have a lot of confidence in our ability to see talent on the field,” Poles mentioned. “It’s the human being we’ve bought to determine.
“Especially being a quarterback in this city? You’ve got to have it right. You have to have mental toughness. You’ve got to be able to block things out. So, really, I have to find out about the human beings.”
ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid is amongst many who think about Williams the highest quarterback prospect on this yr’s class and a great match for the Bears at No. 1. In his most up-to-date mock draft, Reid projected the Bears to pick out Williams with the highest choose.
Reid lately spoke with the Tribune to supply his complete evaluate of Williams. Here are highlights from that dialog.
On what in Williams’ ability set makes him particular:
I’ll go all the way in which again to the start. Even going again to his days at Oklahoma, the primary sport we really noticed Caleb play was within the Red River Rivalry (in opposition to Texas in 2021). If you keep in mind, Spencer Rattler wasn’t taking part in nicely in that sport. And when Caleb got here in, immediately he engineered a magical comeback. So that’s the place the intrigue actually began.
Overall, you see the bodily traits with him. He could make each single throw that you really want. He’s an excellent processor of data. He’s a great “see, read and react” sort of quarterback. Then you add on high of that the improvisational abilities he brings to the desk, and it’s particular. Really, he’s every part you need on the place so far as what we’re seeing in as we speak’s sport.
Yes, there are some tough ends he wants to scrub up so far as ball safety and all of the fumbles he has had. He undoubtedly has to scrub that half up. Also, what I’ve been telling everyone is he has to know when he must preserve that Superman cape within the closet. Because he performs lots of hero ball.
You’ll see all these highlights the place he’s operating round all over the place. But his protection (at USC) has given up 40 or 50 factors in some video games, so he has sort of needed to preserve it in overdrive. But he doesn’t all the time perceive when to place that Superman cape within the closet. So the largest factor I feel he wants to enhance on is simply not losing interest with making the simple throws.
On why Williams had fumbling points at USC:
Plenty of is attempting to do an excessive amount of. Then typically he sort of holds the ball like a loaf of bread the place he simply has one hand on it. And a few of it’s simply unhealthy luck the place defenders have discovered a solution to knock the ball out. But he wants to know to maintain two palms on the ball.
On Williams’ pocket really feel:
That’s one other particular trait he has. It’s having that innate really feel of with the ability to play contained in the pocket. He can play exterior the pocket, clearly, too. He could make throws from inside and out of doors of it. He simply has a really feel and consciousness of every part happening round him. And he’s all the time in management.
Then, we’ve all seen he can improvise with the most effective of them. That’s what makes guys like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen so harmful. He’s that approach — like a few of the finest gamers that we’re seeing on the NFL stage. That’s to not promise he’s ultimately going to be on that tier along with his productiveness and success. But so far as the improvisational abilities? I feel he’s simply nearly as good as these guys strolling by the door proper now.
On learn how to correctly help Williams within the NFL:
One key to Caleb’s success shall be being paired with a play caller who can sort of rein him in somewhat. Because he can get into overdrive with these improvisational abilities simply because it’s like a crutch for him. Like, “I’m so good at this improvisational stuff, I know when I get into bad situations, I can just lean on that.”
But there are different instances the place he ought to step up within the pocket and make these straightforward throws. But he’s giving up these straightforward throws (sometimes) simply because he has that crutch of being so good along with his improvisation. It’s a behavior that he has leaned on somewhat an excessive amount of.
On the worth of Williams’ really feel contained in the pocket:
At the top of the day, what it comes right down to within the NFL is are you able to make throws from the pocket. That’s the place we’ve seen guys like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen actually develop. Those guys had been so good taking part in exterior of the pocket, however you need to be snug inside the confines contained in the pocket too. I feel Caleb is snug inside the pocket.
Now, he’s so good with these improvisational abilities to the place he hasn’t actually needed to absolutely present how good he will be contained in the pocket,. USC wasn’t excellent up entrance this yr both, in order that was one more reason he wasn’t in a position to actually present all he was able to inside the pocket. Still, you noticed some shades of it the place, “Oh, man, he can really do this from inside the pocket.”
But it’s a mixture of his offensive line being so unhealthy (at USC) and him additionally having that behavior of, “I’m so good outside the pocket that I’m just going to keep doing this and keep going to the well.” So I feel there’s going to be a little bit of an preliminary adjustment for him.
But the good factor from the Bears standpoint is that they’ve a reliable starter at left sort out in Braxton Jones. And then (proper sort out) Darnell Wright has performed fairly nicely for essentially the most half as a top-10 choose. So so far as these sort out positions, I feel he’s safe there. Now, the Bears have some work to do so far as the inside. But from a pocket standpoint, he’s already going to be extra protected than he ever was at USC and even Oklahoma.
On his notion of Williams as an individual:
From the surface trying in, I feel he has a really dominant persona that may welcome that big-market media (presence). And it takes a particular sort of individual to try this — particularly in Chicago, a giant media market. You should have robust pores and skin in a market like that.
We’ve seen him play at USC, which is in a giant market in Los Angeles. Oklahoma is a blue-blood program. So he’s been in these conditions earlier than — possibly to not an extent of the New York Jets or the Chicago Bears or something like that. But I feel he has robust sufficient pores and skin to the place he’s going to have the ability to take a few of the criticism.
I do know everyone’s going to level to him going into the group and crying along with his mother (after shedding to Washington). But I really appreciated that. To me, it confirmed he cared. He cared about what was happening and was so fed up with every part that was happening with USC that he simply needed to let it out.
I do know lots of people will spin it and say he’s comfortable, however I didn’t take it that approach. I took it as he actually cared about what was happening.
On the worth of Williams’ roller-coaster 2023 season for NFL groups searching for to know how he handles battle, stress and criticism:
We noticed him face lots of that adversity, whether or not it was the Notre Dame sport and even the Oregon sport the place he had some struggles and didn’t have sufficient environment. Two years in the past he had Jordan Addison (at huge receiver). Last yr he didn’t have that sort of receiver. I do know they’d some guys they had been enthusiastic about coming into the season, but it surely by no means actually lived as much as the hype and potential and every part was actually on Caleb.
And he by no means wavered, for my part. He performed as arduous as he might. There was by no means a way of giving up or giving in to adversity. I believed he battled and battled each single sport. To me, that exhibits loads about his soccer character.
On rating this yr’s QB class:
It’s nonetheless Caleb on the high for me. (North Carolina’s) Drake (Maye) has closed the hole somewhat bit based mostly on how he performed this yr. He didn’t have the season he was wanting, however I believed he closed the hole. I nonetheless consider Caleb as a definite first proper every now and then Maye.
After that, you get into that second tier of Jayden Daniels at LSU, Michael Penix Jr. at Washington, J.J. McCarthy at Michigan and so forth and so forth. But if I’ve No. 1, I’m going Caleb all the way in which. Without query.
On what Poles and the Bears ought to do with their high-profile quarterback choice this spring:
There are so many layers to this. It’s so tough. I’d guess Ryan Poles is staying as much as 2 or 3 within the morning each single evening occupied with this.
And I don’t assume it’s the query of, “Are you moving on from Justin Fields and bringing on a new quarterback?” I feel the larger query is, “Are you comfortable enough with the flashes that Justin Fields has shown to consider paying him a Daniel Jones type of contract of four years, $160 million?” Or do you examine that to having Caleb Williams or Drake Maye after which with the ability to fill out a few of the different components in your roster (with the added cash)?
That’s the large query. If I used to be in Ryan’s sneakers, I’d commerce Justin. Just as a result of there are some issues he nonetheless struggles with so far as taking part in the place from an anticipation standpoint after which standing within the pocket and with the ability to ship. We know Justin is an elite runner, however there’s far more to taking part in the place at a excessive stage.
I simply assume you may’t be petrified of the unknown while you’re making a call like this. That’s the large query that (Poles) has to sit down down and ask himself. But it’s, “I can’t be scared of the unknown.” I feel Caleb Williams’ upside plus the cap area I’m going to get (with him on a rookie contract) goes to be higher long run than paying Justin Fields or committing to Justin Fields for the subsequent 5 – 6 years. So I’m simply extra snug with Caleb Williams on a rookie deal.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com