Since their inception in 1920, the Chicago Bears have been looking for a hero. Perhaps the historic NFC North franchise has found one in Caleb Williams, whose eccentric personality represents the star quarterback of the modern generation.
Williams has long been considered a generational prospect, even after suffering a drop in performance following his Heisman Trophy-winning 2022 campaign. The Bears - who also hold the ninth overall selection - possess the top pick in this week’s NFL Draft following last year’s trade that enabled the Carolina Panthers to choose quarterback Bryce Young at No. 1.
Chicago traded the first overall pick to the Panthers for a package that included wide receiver DJ Moore and the Panthers' No. 1 pick in 2024, and the trade proved to be a key moment in the franchise’s rebuild. Moore tallied 1,364 receiving yards, the fourth-most in franchise history and helped the Bears improve from a three-win team to 7-10 in 2023.
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Following another trade for former Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, it appears all that is needed in the Windy City is the quarterback. Williams is everything the franchise could hope for, including the vibrant personality to boot.
After transferring to USC ahead of the 2022 college football season, Williams quickly established himself as one of the best signal-callers in college football. The 22-year-old has been favourably compared to two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes; he expertly uses his legs to evade pressure before pulling off incredible, awe-inducing throws from off-platform, improvised angles.
Williams tallied 93 touchdowns to 14 interceptions while throwing for 10,082 yards and rushing for 21 scores with his legs across his collegiate career with USC. His big-play ability was regularly on show; Williams enjoyed 10 games where he scored five or more touchdowns. According to ESPN Stats & Info, only Mahomes had more in the College Football Playoff era.
Someone who needs no second invitation to talk himself up is Williams. He appeared on The Pivot Podcast recently, where he declared: “If you look at the stats, and on average, I am the most dead center even dude for scrambling and throwing in the pocket… I am the farthest from all of them in every single way… I can do anything and everything as I want and as my team needs.”
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Williams was on top of the world following the 2022 season, only for USC to record a disappointing 7-5 campaign - a career-worst for the quarterback - despite his personal highs in completion percentage (68.6), yards per attempt (9.4) and passer rating (170.1). While he has areas to improve on, including decision-making when outside the pocket, many critics have pointed to his unique and extravagant personality.
During the women’s NCAA Tournament last month, Williams attended USC versus the Kansas Jayhawks and set tongues wagging with his painted nails, pink iPhone case, and lip gloss. He has always painted his nails, making it a feature of his look and brand as he pays tribute to his mother, a nail technician.
“It started, I would say, three years ago,” Williams told USC legend Matt Leinart last year. “It was my last year of high school. My mom does nails. Let's just start it off there. She's done it my whole life. It's just kind of always been around me. Nobody else does it. I just kinda like to do new things.”
Sometimes, the trend has backfired for Williams. He infamously painted ‘F*** Utah’ on his nails for the Pac-12 Championship only for USC to come up short. However, the Bears won’t care what Williams does with his nails as long as his arm lives up to its staggering promise.
Williams has been the presumed top pick since 2024 mock drafts began being mocked, and NFL executives and former teammates have spoken highly of the quarterback to allay any fears that have arisen along the way. It’s clear he wants to be the very best; amid the comparisons to Mahomes, Williams has only had eyes for one former quarterback - seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
“I want to play in one place for 20 years and chase one guy [Tom Brady] No. 12,” Williams added on The Pivot Podcast. “I want a place that loves [foot]ball. That's all I've heard about Chicago so far.”
Perhaps after years of cubs under centre, Chicago will finally get its grizzly bear - painted claws and all.