The scouting combine is around the corner. Now that the Super Bowl has passed, all attention has turned to the Chicago Bears. They hold the #1 pick in the 2024 draft. Everybody wants to know what they'll do. Based on the information every credible insider has gathered, league-wide expectations are that they will stay at that spot and take a quarterback. Virtually all believe that quarterback will be Caleb Williams. It is easy to understand why. For two years, the USC star has been the presumptive favorite to go #1 in this draft.
However, it is important to remember the evaluation process isn't over. Opinions in a building can change fast. That is never clearer than during the most underrated leg of the journey: private interviews. Teams get to know players through watching tape. The thing is, liking the player and liking the person are two different things. There have been many instances over the years of teams moving from one prospect to another because of how interviews went. Mitch Trubisky's ability to charm Ryan Pace in 2017 was one of the reasons the Bears took him.
Don't think for a second Ryan Poles is any different.
He even said outright after the regular season ended that he is placing a huge emphasis on interviews. His reasoning was clear and logical.
“Especially being a quarterback in this city? You’ve got to have it right. You have to have mental toughness. You’ve got to be able to block things out. So, really, I have to find out about the human beings.”
He knows it will take a particular type of person to play in Chicago. Maybe Williams gives off the necessary impression that he can handle it, but let's say another of the top quarterbacks makes an even bigger one. If any of them could swing the pendulum in their direction during these interviews, who would it be? While Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are gifted young men, the real threat is Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. Draft insider Tony Pauline of Sportskeedia summed up why.
"McCarthy rates high in the areas of intangibles and leadership, and his confidence is off the charts.
He has a moxie to his game that scouts and coaches love. McCarthey has done an outstanding job commanding the Michigan offense the last three years while protecting the football."
Caleb Williams vs. J.J. McCarthy is a classic showdown.
It has happened in the NFL draft many times over the years. Does the team take the gifted athlete with elite arm ability or the decorated winner with elite intangibles and leadership? The Bears have seen both sides of this. In 1982, they watched Indianapolis take the gifted athlete Art Schlichter from Ohio State #4 overall. Chicago settled for BYU's Jim McMahon, who'd only lost three games in two years. Schlichter was a colossal bust, while McMahon led the Bears to a championship.
Then, in 1999, the Bears traded back to #12 in the 1st round. Minnesota took the high-upside Daunte Culpepper from UCF at #11. Chicago opted for UCLA's Cade McNown after he went 20-4 in two years. Culpepper went to three Pro Bowls. McNown didn't even play three seasons.
That is Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy in a nutshell. Williams is the superior talent with some of the most dazzling highlights you'll ever see. McCarthy is an unselfish leader who does whatever it takes to win, even if it means sacrificing his statistical output. He only lost one game in his college career and just won the national championship. If that weren't enough, he's also a Chicago-area native. Williams remains the heavy favorite, but don't be surprised if McCarthy's name starts gaining momentum after the combine.
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