The Chicago Bears were locked on selecting Caleb Williams with the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft for most of the offseason.
Even though, across Chicago and many national sports talk shows, a debate raged on during the early months of the offseason about whether the Bears should indeed take Williams or move forward with Justin Fields, the team had already made their decision.
The Bears' vetting of Caleb Williams began last Fall and by the time that the season was over, the front office was sold on the former USC quarterback being the next face of the franchise at the position.
Poles recently appeared on Adam Schefter's podcast and shared more insight into the vetting process of Williams.
"" I had a really good conversation with some basketball guys and some GMs. We talked about creativity, and that's like the new outlier in sports. Guys that are creative and feel the game. They're not afraid to take chances, and they're really good when the game is on the line and you need that. Obviously, I came from a place that has someone that is really creative, so all those things stood out to me." "Ryan Poles
Of course,, the quarterback that Poles is referring to is Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams, for his part, has not shied away from the comparisons to Mahomes.
Ryan Poles turned over every stone in the vetting of Caleb Williams.
It should also be mentioned that Poles turned to former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan for advice on Williams. Poles was a college teammate of Ryan's at Boston College. For an organization that has little to no success at the quarterback position, Poles seeking the advice of Ryan goes to show how determined he was to get the process right.
For all the criticism that the Bears and Poles took for being locked on Williams, it's clear that he did not cut corners. Williams, with his play, was the right selection for the Bears and the character of the quarterback is proving to be an equal fit.