The Chicago Bears are going to draft Caleb Williams. I know, you know it, we all know it. However, in the NFL draft media complex, there will always be chatter about the unexpected, and there will always be narratives pushing back against the obvious.
One narrative that has quickly been erased is that Williams does not want to play for the Chicago Bears. The other thing that has yet to fade as quickly is that Williams's play against Notre Dame should cause him to slip or expose that he cannot play in the NFL.
First, we can easily admit that Williams did not play well against Notre Dame last year. It was the worst game of his career; he threw three interceptions, had an 8% turnover-worthy throw rate, and the team lost, with him being the biggest question.
However, to judge the quarterback off of that one game is a silly narrative. Williams went on to have seven touchdowns and one interception for USC after that game.
The Chicago Bears do not need to worry about the Notre Dame game for Caleb Williams
While that game was bad, Drake Maye had a 44% completion rate against Clemson in an ugly loss. He completed just 16 of his 36 pass attempts. Maye also had a turnover-worthy throw rate higher than 8% in two games in 2022. He had two of the worst games of his career against Clemson, is that more concerning than Williams against Notre Dame?
The craziest justification is that Jayden Daniels is better because of the Notre Dame game. First, Daniels is two years older than Williams because he had to transfer out of Arizona State. The program was not great, but when he left, he was not missed. In 2021, the year in which he was the same age as Williams, Daniels had ten touchdowns and ten interceptions in the entire season, which was just 303 attempts. Williams had 14 career interceptions on 1,108 attempts.
Why are we not talking more about the season of Daniels in 2021 than the game of Williams in 2023? Lastly, it is not like Williams did not have his share of highlight plays in that game as well. It just was not his best.
Caleb Williams has questions about his NFL trajectory and no one is a sure thing. However, the narrative that Williams playing badly against Notre Dame potentially being what makes him a bust is a bit overdramatic.