Caleb Williams heads to Chicago

The Bears selected USC QB Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. A five-star recruit and the No. 2 QB in the 2021 recruiting class, Williams took over as Oklahoma’s starter midway through his freshman campaign. He finished that year with 9.1 yards per pass attempt and a sterling 21:4 TD-to-INT ratio. Williams then followed HC Lincoln Riley to USC and turned in a Heisman-winning 2022 season on the back of 4,537 passing yards and 42 TDs. His raw numbers took a step back this past year (losing WR Jordan Addison hurt), but Williams continued to flash a tantalizing skill set. He has the arm to make every throw, Mahomes-ian creativity and improvisation skills, and plenty of rushing ability. Williams will probably need to stay on script a bit more as a pro and clean up his ball security (33 career fumbles). But he has the potential to put up huge passing numbers while also adding fantasy value with his legs. Chicago supplies Williams with an excellent environment for year-one production – especially after the addition of Keenan Allen. The Bears have also built up a solid O-line in recent years. In 2023, they finished fifth in ESPN’s pass-block win rate. There’s top-five upside here long-term, but Williams sits just 21st in our redraft QB rankings, largely because of the position’s depth.

USC QB Caleb Williams declined to throw or work out at the NFL Combine. He spoke to the media but passed on medical testing. “I’ll be doing the medical stuff, just not here in Indy,” Williams said. “I’ll be doing that at [individual team visits pre-draft]. You know, not 32 teams can draft me. There’s only one of me. And so the teams that I go to for my visit, you know those teams will have the medical and that’ll be it… I didn’t feel the need to go out and throw. I played around 30-some games, I believe. Go ahead and watch real live ball with me and see how I am as a competitor.” We’re fully behind Williams as a future dynasty asset. As of early March, he’s the heavy favorite to land No. 1 overall in Chicago.