Why Caleb Williams? Ryan Poles Shares Two Key Moments That Sold Bears

Ryan Poles understood how important the decision ahead of him was. Most NFL general managers get one crack at picking their own quarterback for a franchise. If you get it wrong, you'll likely be unemployed within the next three years. If you get it right, you could run the organization for a decade and maybe win a Lombardi trophy. The Chicago Bears knew by the end of the 2023 season that Justin Fields wasn't the guy they needed to reach the next level. So work began on finding him. They held the #1 overall pick. It was a golden opportunity to get it right. After months of work, they landed on Caleb Williams from USC.

It wasn't a shocking decision. Most draft experts had Williams as the top quarterback prospect in this class and one of the best to come out of college in at least a decade. He has a unique blend of arm strength, accuracy, mobility, and improvisational instincts. The physical skills were all there. However, Poles understood it would take more than that to achieve success in the NFL. He needed to find out what went on between Williams' ears. In talking with Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com, the GM pinpointed two key moments that won him over.

The first came at the scouting combine in February when they met him for the first time.

"It's just an awkward setting," Poles told ChicagoBears.com. "You have a room full of people and this draft prospect just walks into this suite in a stadium. But we realized quickly he was very comfortable in his own skin; talking about himself, talking about his experience at USC, talking about the film we put up on the screen.

"You like to see someone who has a slow pulse in a pressure situation. Now, does that tell you everything about their game? No, but being comfortable with what you know and who you are, that's important, especially at that position, and he definitely had that."

Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus, team president Kevin Warren, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and passing game coordinator Thomas Brown were all at the meeting. It would've been easy for any young player to shrink in the face of so many top decision-makers. Williams appeared to take it in stride. Composure in a high-stakes environment is a priceless asset.

Yet the second selling point might be even more so.

The night before his Pro Day workout, Williams dined in a private room at a friend's restaurant, The Bird Streets Club in West Hollywood, with a large Bears ensemble that included Poles, Eberflus, Cunningham, Waldron, Brown and quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph. Also on hand were four of Williams' USC teammates that Poles had invited.

"I just wanted to see him interact with his teammates," Poles said. "I wanted to see how comfortable they were just having conversations and also spending time with them to get a feel for Caleb and what those guys like to do in their free time.

"What we saw is that glue component that he has, which is to bring people together for whatever their goal is. For them it was to get into the playoffs, be successful, but that also goes a long way when you go through hard times as well and adversity and keeping guys together. He definitely had that. There was something special in the way that his teammates looked at him."

Caleb Williams checked two critical boxes.

He shows poise under pressure and can garner the love and respect of his teammates. Those two traits are considered vital for any franchise quarterback. Go back through most of the Bears' history, and you'll find every quarterback they've had missing one, the other, or both. Cutler had poise, but his teammates never liked him. Teammates loved Rex Grossman but seemed to struggle in high-pressure situations. Cade McNown had no poise, and his teammates hated him. Jim McMahon was the only one who seemed to have both attributes. Sadly, he could never stay healthy.

Nobody can say Poles didn't do his homework. He understood the stakes when the evaluations of Caleb Williams became serious. Scouting the player is one thing. Scouting the person is another. The Bears covered every conceivable angle before making the decision to draft him. If Williams fails after all of this, it won't be because the organization did something wrong. They dug into the details. They surrounded him with legitimate weapons. He has an experienced offensive coordinator who has worked with him before.

Almost no #1 pick in NFL history had it this good when he got to the league. It's on Williams now.