Bears banking on Caleb Williams after taking the 2022 Heisman winner with No. 1 pick in NFL draft
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Caleb Williams, welcome to Chicago.
The expectations are clear, become the franchise quarterback the Bears have craved for years and lift the founding NFL franchise to the top of the league. Other than that, there’s no pressure at all.
“I don’t think of it that way,” Williams said after the Bears took him with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. “That may be the narrative. For me, I handle my job, I be a great teammate first and foremost.
General manager Ryan Poles made a half-hearted attempt during the week to play things close to the vest when it came to the first pick by telling everyone to “tune in” as he smiled.
The real mystery, of course, wasn’t whether they would kick off the festivities by taking the elusive, rifle-armed QB; it was what they would do with the No. 9 pick. The Bears took Washington All-American Rome Odunze, giving them another potential play-making receiver to go with DJ Moore and six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen. They also have a third-rounder (75) and a fourth-rounder (122).