Throughout the pre-draft process, Caleb Williams expressed a desire to be selected by an NFL team that could win Super Bowls.
After being chosen by the Bears with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, the star quarterback is convinced that he’s joining that type of organization.
“A big reason is I believe the culture that’s been building,” Williams said during a Zoom call with Chicago reporters. “I would say the culture, the coaches, and that’s where it stems from. Then I’d also say the love and support that the fans have been giving. They’re ready, they’re hungry, they’re all excited, and so are we.”
Williams experienced that culture during a top 30 visit to Halas Hall the first week of April. First, he dined with a group of Bears players and then met the next day with general manager Ryan Poles, members of his personnel staff and coaches.
“I’d say the biggest thing is that they want to win,” Williams said. “That was the biggest and most important thing. That was really it. That’s what it really came down to, and that aligns with me. I want to be around people that want to win. I want to be around people that want to achieve high because it only makes me better. That only holds me accountable, and it makes me excited to be around people like that. You’re who you are, but you also are the people that are closest to you. So having people around you that want to win only elevates you and your game.”
Williams was impressed with the specifics the Bears coaches shared with him.
“They didn’t just tell me [they want to win], they were showing me how we do it,” he said. “That’s always big. I’ve always been a routine guy. I’ve always been true to my work, committed to that and things like that. They’ve been saying that they want to win, they’ve been saying that they’re hungry. When I went there on a visit, they were showing me plans of how they plan on implementing that, things like that throughout the whole team, myself, to be able to lead these guys to victories.”
Williams arrives in Chicago as the highest drafted quarterback in franchise history. He’s only the third player the Bears have chosen with the No. 1 overall pick, joining halfbacks Tom Harmon in 1941 and Bob Fenimore in 1947.
Williams produced an eye-popping 120 touchdowns (93 passing and 27 rushing) in three seasons at Oklahoma (2021) and USC (2022-23). He won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 after passing for 4,537 yards and 42 TDs and rushing for 382 yards and 10 TDs. Last year he threw for 3,333 yards and 30 TDs and ran for 142 yards and 11 TDs.
Williams had been projected as the No. 1 pick for several months, but that doesn’t mean the 22-year-old knew exactly how he’d feel when his lifelong dream became reality. When he strode on stage Thursday night in Detroit, Williams smiled and screamed triumphantly before hugging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“I didn’t know how I was going to react in the moment,” Williams said. “I was trying to think through it in my head throughout the process. But nothing feels better than actually being in the moment, actually getting the call.
“I don’t feel nervous. I don’t feel any of that. I was anxious and ready to go, just ready to get the call so I could walk out there on stage. And just finally [to] be back on a team is honestly what I’m excited for.”
