GM Ryan Poles may have the final say on who the Chicago Bears take with every draft pick, but he leans on his scouts’ experience, knowledge, and hard work to help make those decisions. By far, the most important of his career came when the Bears held the #1 overall pick. As far back as January, it was clear that they would be taking a quarterback. Justin Fields’ time with the team had run its course. The tough part of the decision was determining which QB it would be. As we all eventually found out, Caleb Williams became that guy.
What nobody has known is what the Bears scouting department had to say about the USC standout. Poles offered hints leading up to the draft and directly following it, but nothing specific. That changes in the latest episode of 1920 Football Drive. The team provided behind-the-scenes access to Poles and the entire scouting department, breaking down every player at the top of their board. Reports on Williams were glowing, with area scout Reese Hicks and national scout Francis St. Paul providing the biggest statements.
Hicks: “Really jumps off the tape. One of the rare players I’ve seen in all my days of scouting.
St. Paul: “This guy will be an eventual top five QB in the league. His combination of his ability, competitiveness, and desire to win makes him rare.”
Hicks got into scouting in 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons. This is somebody who spent years around Matt Ryan during his peak with that organization. As the Bears’ West Coast area scout, he had greater access to Williams than anybody. That report speaks volumes. St. Paul is a former wide receiver who shared a locker room with Kurt Warner, Mark Brunell, and Jake Delhomme. He joined the Bears in 2012 as their West Coast scout, so he also has deep roots in that area of the country. Declaring Williams will be a top-5 quarterback is wild since scouts don’t generally make such declarations.
All of that, combined with teammates’ comments about his leadership and presence, was mere icing on the cake. Caleb Williams had passed the tests. The Bears had failed to find anything wrong with the young quarterback that would convince them to look elsewhere. They wanted somebody with an “it” factor, somebody who could handle the pressure of playing in Chicago. Williams was the guy. This was not a pick they needed to overthink. He is that good.
