The Chicago Bears have the no. 1 overall pick in this April’s NFL draft and it’s widely believed that they’ll select USC blue chip quarterback prospect Caleb Williams with their coveted slot.
Williams certainly ticks off almost all the boxes when it comes to top quarterback selections. But what if Chicago has their eyes set on someone else at no. 1? Or what if General Manager Ryan Poles and the front office have some other bold draft strategy in mind?
What if the Bears are willing to go with the next best quarterback in the draft, willing to take the risk of choosing a lower ranked QB in exchange for the high draft picks they’d get in return for their no. 1 slot and the right to draft Williams?
Recent buzz in some corners of the internet has centered around Caleb Williams to the Bears not being as “for sure” of a thing as some have assessed.
Caleb Williams to the Chicago Bears Not Such A Sure Thing?
As a matter of fact, three prominent football media voices have talked about North Carolina’s Drake Maye being the better quarterback choice for Chicago
“I think Maye or Caleb Williams are top-notch prizes for this draft, but Maye has been my pick for the Bears for months now. He has a great combination of size, athleticism and arm talent worthy of the No. 1 pick, with the Bears in a prime position to bolster the talent around him and hit the ground running.”
Christian D’Andrea, For The Win:
“The smoke signals suggest Caleb Williams is the Bears’ guy. That makes sense, since he’s great. But Maye may be an easier fit at the NFL level, a quarterback with prototype size and solid scrambling ability that allows him to take some pages from the Justin Fields playbook while adding several more with his downfield passing.”
Alex Shapiro, NBC Sports Chicago:
“Partway through the college football season draft expert Dane Brugler made Maye the No. 1 prospect on his big board, over Williams, and it’s an understandable decision. Maye’s got a phenomenal deep ball and can hit streaking wide receivers in stride. He’s not afraid to throw contested balls to give his receivers a chance to make a 50-50 grab, which would pair well with DJ Moore’s skill set. He’s very accurate and throws with great timing, but he can improvise when plays break down too. Maye doesn’t have the same scrambling ability of Williams or Fields, but he’s athletic enough to be a threat with his legs. Pretty much the full package.”
Chicago-Washington Trade Possible?
Aside from the Bears maybe choosing to draft Maye ahead of Williams, there’s also the possibility of Chicago swapping their no. 1 spot to the team right behind them in the draft, the Washington Commanders, who are reportedly very eager to bring DC-area native Williams on board.
In a trade proposal cooked up by Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report, the Bears would send their no. 1 pick to the Commanders in return for Washington’s no. 2 pick, this year’s second-round pick, and a third-round pick in 2025.
In another Chicago-Washington trade idea, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports imagines a scenario where the Bears trade away their overall top pick for the Commanders’ no. 2 pick, their second-round pick this year, and their first-round pick in 2025.
Does It All Make Sense?
Would a deal for the Bears’ no. 1 spot make sense for Washington? Maybe, if they’re really, really focused on getting Williams. And that may be the case since the team recently hired Williams’ former USC coach Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator.
Would this make sense for Chicago? Possibly, if the added picks from Washington are valuable enough to risk taking a QB downgrade in the draft.
Then again, however, some don’t see Maye as a downgrade from Williams at all. As a matter of fact, some feel he would mesh better with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme than Williams would. Scouts also see Maye as comparable to Williams in almost all areas of the game, but with larger size and a more durable frame.
Whatever the case, the Bears find themselves in a coveted win-win situation ahead of this draft and it’ll be interesting to see which way they decide to go.