The NFL Draft is 102 days away. But tomorrow represents an important pre-draft deadline for eligible underclassmen to officially declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. To this point, USC quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t done so. Williams has until tomorrow to do so, so it’s not the end of the world that he hasn’t done it yet. And while I don’t expect him to go back to school, an officially official announcement will ease some minds around football.
Among those watching this status with intently are the Chicago Bears, who own the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft thanks to the Carolina Panthers. that folks “in and around the program” feel like the team will end up taking Caleb Williams (or some other quarterback) with that selection:
I’m told the Bears are in the early stages of the draft evaluation of all the top players — including the top quarterbacks. They’ll do character studies, deep film work spanning over years — including on that player right there Caleb Williams, who most around the league feel is the number-one talent at the quarterback position. If the Bears are going to go that route, they would likely get Williams.
…
I have talked with some people in and around the program that believe they will eventually land on Caleb Williams ♔or a quarterback at No. 1. But it still has to be sorted out.
It has long been the feeling that the Bears would draft a quarterbac🎐k with the first pick next April. But now we’re hearing the whispers grow both in number and volume. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it is inevitable. But it sure seems more possible than it did at any point before. At a minimum, Fowler’s reporting gives us some more data points to account for as we compile information ahead of this offseason.
Caleb Williams has a big decision to make by tomorrow
UPDATE: Caleb Williams has declared for the 2024 NFL Dr🌟aft.
Stop and let it sync in. Caleb Williams’ decision to go pro will impact so many teams, players, and coaches. The Chicago Bears are at the top of that list. And for a bunch of reasons. Among them is that they could make the open offensive coordinator gig a bit more intriguing to candidates if they can offer up drafting a prospect of Williams’ stature as being something that is on the table.
Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Candidates: Waldron | Kubiak | Coen | Olson
It is notable that Fowler shares (1) some background on the Bears’ process and (2) an opinion of what the Bears will do based on what he’s heard from those he has talked to on his path toward unearthing information. There will be ample opinions about who the Bears should pick and why. Fowler is just telling us what he has heard, which carries a little more weight than other sources.
Not to be wholly left out of the discussion, Fowler also notes the Bears still have Justin Fields on their roster. Additionally, Fowler says he was told that the quarterback’s play down the stretch makes the decision to move on difficult. Whether that is gamesmanship or something else remains to be seen. Don’t shoot the messenger.
Leaping the pros isn’t some small step. Sure, there is probably a bunch of tedious paperwork that no one likes doing that makes the formality of declaring for the NFL Draft an annoyance. But even when that is out of the way, the things that a player needs to do — physically, mentally, emotionally — to go from college to the pros are unlike anything. So I don’t necessarily blame anyone for taking as much time as necessary before making the call. Besides, who doesn’t like waiting until the last minute to get something done?
