The study of Caleb Williams was ceaseless by fans, scouts, and draft experts from the moment he stepped on the field for the first time at Oklahoma. Over the next three years, plenty of conclusions were reached. He’s athletic and mobile, displays uncanny accuracy on the run, senses pressure really well, and has enough arm strength to make any throw. Physically, there were zero concerns about his prospects for the NFL outside of his slightly shorter size (6’1). What the Chicago Bears needed to find out was what went on between the ears.
They knew Williams would be walking into a pressure cooker if they drafted him. Chicago is a passionate sports town, and it can be inhospitable if you don’t produce. Any quarterback they picked would need serious mental toughness. After exhaustive research and meetings, they felt Williams had passed all the tests. In the months since, the quarterback’s maturity has been evident. However, something else has emerged that people didn’t fully grasp.
His intelligence.
One of the biggest assets you often find with great quarterbacks is their ability to read and recall information about the defenses they face. They saw not just the coverage but also specific details from each defender. Williams showed that he could do this after the Buffalo game when describing his 13-yard scramble. Well, he just did it again with the 43-yard pass interference against Cincinnati.
His understanding of coverages alone is encouraging. Each explanation revealed that he not only understood what to do in those specific situations but also had the processing speed to take advantage in real-time. That is often what separates good quarterbacks from everybody else. For all the talk about arm strength and mobility, it remains a thinking man’s position. Williams gets that. It is evident he studied a lot and was ready for anything the opponents threw at him.
The challenge moving forward is learning to execute with greater precision. Caleb Williams isn’t quite there yet, which is no surprise. Rookies always require time to master the speed of the NFL level. There will be moments when he’s a split-second late recognizing something, which leads to a mistake. The trick is learning from those moments and applying them to his overall education. It doesn’t sound like that will be a problem. Williams has the mind for this game.
