In almost 24 hours, the Chicago Bears will be on the clock at the 2024 NFL Draft In Detroit as they hold the first overall selection and will likely take quarterback Caleb Williams. The drafting of Williams overall appears to be a foregone conclusion, as general manager Ryan Poles and his front office have conducted an extensive scouting effort to ensure that the USC signal-caller is the best prospect available at the position. In a draft where multiple teams are in dire need of a quarterback, along with several collegiate talents being highly rated, it doesn't hurt for Poles to do a last-minute check of his scouting notes before making the pick.
Poles Needs To Avoid The Same Mistake That His Predecessor Made Back In 2017
Poles has done everything he can to investigate Williams, both as a player and person leading up to the NFL Draft, as the Bears had their entire front office attend the prospect's pro day at USC. Additionally, Chicago's general manager has had the highly-rated quarterback visit the Bears' headquarters at Halas Hall and had the team's veterans have dinner with the potential first-overall pick. Throughout the draft process, Poles and his executives have gradually made it clear on the direction Chicago will be going with the first overall selection.
Despite the aggressive approach when scouting William's talent and background, Poles did not make the same effort toward other quarterbacks expected to be drafted in the first round, let alone the first five selections. No other passing prospect was brought to Halas Hall for the Bears' top 30 visits, which allows NFL teams to meet privately with prospective prospects in a private setting at their headquarters. Furthermore, no other quarterback prospect had the amount of Chicago's front office members or coaches come to their pro days as the team did for Williams.
The issue with being solely focused on Williams is that Poles and his staff are at risk of failure if the quarterback, who is projected as a generational talent, is outperformed by other signal-callers drafted after him. Chicago has lived through a missed scouting situation once before, as in 2017, when then-general manager Ryan Pace made the mistake of drafting Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Pace was so focused on Trubisky that he scouted the quarterback prospect incognito while never meeting with Mahomes during the pre-draft process.
Pace is mocked heavily for not doing more scouting on either Watson or Mahomes while being persistent on Trubisky. Chicago's executive was so worried that he traded a significant amount of draft capital to move up one spot to take the North Carolina quarterback. Although Poles has conducted a more thorough and open investigation on the type of talent Williams could be, it is troubling he hasn't put forth the same effort on other available quarterback prospects. One of the perks of drafting first overall is that it enables Chicago to dictate how they conduct their research and not need to hide their potential interest in whomever they may want to draft to be their starting quarterback in 2024.
Double-checking scouting notes on every potential first-round quarterback is especially vital for Poles, given the number of teams looking for a quarterback and to what extent they will try to move up to draft one. Chicago should take into account that Washington appears content staying at the number two position despite being the only franchise capable of trading up for Williams. Additionally, rumors are swirling that another team is ready to pay a steep price to move up to draft another of the available quarterback prospects. Potential trades and how other franchises view other prospects need to be weighed by Poles to ensure he hasn't missed anything in his quarterback research.
Poles' Quarterback Research Has Been Vastly Different From His Offensive Coordinator Search
Poles' focus on Williams during the pre-draft scouting process appears even more intriguing, given how thorough and detailed his search for a new offensive coordinator was at the beginning of 2024. Following the dismissal of play-caller Luke Getsy, after two seasons with the Bears, the team's general manager conducted a near-two-week search for a new coordinator. Poles interviewed a wide-range of candidates who had extensive experience and who were vastly different in offensive philosophies from one another.
Of the high number of experienced coordinators interviewed, Poles decided to hire former Seahawks' offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, who had been the team's play-caller for the previous three seasons. Waldron had noted success during his tenure with the Seahawks as he helped Geno Smith, who was regarded as a first-round bust, become one of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL. Smith was named to the Pro Bowl for how well he played in 2022 for Seattle.
The detailed process of how Poles conducted his search for an offensive coordinator is significant as he wanted to find the most qualified offensive mind to oversee the development of a first-round quarterback. Waldron will be responsible for the growth of Williams or whoever the team takes first overall, but responsibility for making sure the Bears get the best signal-caller available will be that of their general manager. Poles still have time to double-check and make any last-minute calls to ensure there isn't anything Chicago's front office potentially missed during their quarterback scouting process.
Although it will take a few years to know if the Bears drafted the right quarterback, Poles will face scrutiny as soon as this season if Williams is outperformed by other rookie quarterbacks, including Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and JJ McCarthy. Chicago's general manager can't afford a situation like last season where the Carolina Panthers drafted Bryce Young instead of C.J. Stroud. With less than two days before the draft, Poles should utilize the time left to make sure that his staff has not missed any minor details that may have ramifications for years to come for the franchise.
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