USC quarterback Caleb Williams is a foregone conclusion for the Chicago Bears' No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, so it is not much surprise Bears head coach Matt Eberflus heavily praised Williams at the NFL owners meeting.

Eberflus, who is entering a crucial third year as the Bears' coach, said he and other members of the Bears organization came away impressed after spending quite a bit of time with Williams the day before and day of Williams' pro day.

“He’s an outstanding young man, and everything looks great in terms of his personality, his character, his football knowledge,” Eberflus said of Williams.

As expected, though, Eberflus did not outright confirm the Bears will select Williams with the first overall pick, even though by trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 16, Chicago made its draft-day decision clear.

“I would just say we're going through the process,” Eberflus said. “And we got a few more weeks to do that, and when we get back, we're going to really start going through the tape one more time and making sure we're all squared away with the decision.”

Bears GM Ryan Poles praises Caleb Williams

Ryan Poles smiling looking at NFL draft prospect Caleb Williams with the City of Chicago skyline as the background.

The tape will likely reflect reality; Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, has remained the top draft prospect for most of his final season at USC and for some time before then. In three seasons, the first of which he played at Oklahoma, Williams threw for 10,082 yards, 93 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also ran for 966 yards and 27 touchdowns in his college career.

Williams' athletic ability, arm strength, and accuracy have all been praised, but fans and some analysts have criticized Wiliams for what they perceive to be ‘diva' or ‘unlikeable' personality traits. A video of Williams crying in his mother's arms after losing to Washington in November, USC's less-than-stellar record in 2023, a report Williams inquired about an ownership stake in the Bears, and more have been cited as reasons he will fail in the NFL.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles came out in defense of Williams, saying he had become a beloved teammate and leader in college.

“When you talk to his teammates, they don’t like him, they love him,” Poles said, via The Athletic. “His leadership, how he brings people together. He’s intentional with his leadership. Same goes with the staff.

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“I’m having a hard time finding a person that doesn’t like him or even love him.”

Of course, Poles and Eberflus have every reason to defend and overlook any potential shortcomings with Williams. After all, the Bears have built what would appear to be a competitive team through the draft and free agency, and Williams, if he pans out as a pro, would be one of the final pieces in a successful Bears rebuild.

The Bears named Poles, a former member of the Kansas City Chiefs' front office, the team's general manager in January 2022 after a 6-11 campaign in 2021. Poles hired Eberflus, the Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator, as one of his first acts on the job. Since then, the Bears have been toiling away in a massive rebuild; Chicago went 3-14 in the first season of the Poles-Eberflus regime and improved to 7-10 this past season.

At the helm of the offense during much of that time was Fields, who had been drafted by former GM Ryan Pace in 2021. Fields started 38 games in Chicago and seemed to be improving year-over-year, but he did not assert himself as a high-level NFL quarterback in his three seasons, and by landing the No. 1 overall pick for a second consecutive season, Poles and Eberflus now have the opportunity to draft their own franchise quarterback.