While Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels have entered the conversation for being the top quarterback in the 2024 draft, most experts haven’t wavered in their belief that the spot belongs to Caleb Williams. Despite a “down” year at USC this past season, he was still excellent most of the way, with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. He made dizzying plays with his arm and legs, showing a rare level of creativity and improvisation for that position. It was so impressive that many dared to mention the quarterback he reminds them most of.
Patrick Mahomes.
It sounds ridiculous. Mahomes is one-of-one. The best in the NFL and already a surefire Hall of Famer before his 30th birthday. There is no way another generational talent of that caliber could come along so quickly, right? Well, the foremost expert thinks so. Albert Breer of the MMQB appeared on ESPN 1000 to talk about Williams. It was there he made a startling revelation. In speaking to USC quarterbacks coach Kliff Kingsbury about the former Heisman winner, he received confirmation that the Mahomes comparison is warranted.
The similarities are eerie, and Kingsbury would know. He recruited and coached Mahomes for three years at Texas Tech.
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Caleb Williams has the talent. Do the Bears have the coaching?
One of the biggest reasons Mahomes ascended to the NFL mountaintop was pairing with future Hall of Fame head coach Andy Reid. He had the expertise and the personality needed to control Mahomes’ worst tendencies while maximizing his best. Knowing if the Bears are prepared for that same challenge is hard. Matt Eberflus is an excellent defensive coach. By all accounts, his players love his approach and vision. Still, developing quarterbacks isn’t in his background. That means the team must lean on new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to accomplish this.
The good news is Waldron comes from an accomplished background. He worked under Bill Belichick, Sean McVay, and Pete Carroll. All successfully developed young quarterbacks. Waldron did good work in Seattle both with Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. He’s lived on the west coast since 2017 and is no doubt familiar with Caleb Williams’ work. The Bears hired him because he likely had a good plan in place for whichever quarterback they chose. If Williams is that guy, the potential upside is impossible to ignore.
