Bears continue moving toward drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams

Sun-Times

ORLANDO, Fla. — The man who said last month he’d prefer to know the identity of his next quarterback “tomorrow” seems like he knows his answer.

“I’m getting there,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles told the Sun-Times with a smile, “I’m getting there. I’m getting there.

“It’s very stressful. You never feel comfortable. But as you get clarity on what you think is going to happen, you can’t help but be excited about the direction we’re going.”

That direction appears to be into the arms — specifically, the right one — of USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The rest of the league believes that’s who Poles will draft with the first overall pick one month from Monday.

“I think everyone knows what Chicago is going to do at No. 1,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, whose team holds the third pick, said Monday at the NFL’s annual meeting.

Poles said "it'll be tough to be swayed” by even the most ambitious trade offer once he makes his final decision. That should come soon.

The Bears sent a throng of coaches and front office members to Los Angeles last week for Williams’ pro day. They went to dinner at a private club with the quarterback and some of his receivers March 18 — “He never touched his phone,” Poles said with awe — and spent time with him in USC’s football offices the next day.

“When you talk to [Williams’] teammates, they don't like him — they love him,” Poles said. “His leadership, how he brings people together. He's intentional with his leadership.

“Same goes with the [USC] staff. I'm having a hard time finding a person that doesn't like him — or even love him — and thinks that he can reach the highest limits.”

That seemingly includes the GM himself.

Poles attended J.J. McCarthy’s pro day at Michigan last week and will go to LSU to watch Jayden Daniels on Wednesday. He’ll send a staffer to watch North Carolina’s Drake Maye on Thursday.

Visiting those quarterbacks — ranked second through fourth in the draft, behind Williams —sounds more and more like due diligence, though.

“We'll continue to evaluate everybody,” Poles said. “We gain clarity as we move forward, which is a good thing, but we also want to make sure that we continue and finish the process with the rest of the class, too.”

He knows what he’s looking for.

“Play-making,” he said. “Poise. The leadership part’s gotta be there. Again, a guy that can help us create enough impact plays to win championships. We keep weighing all the guys that we bring in against that — are they gonna help us win championships? That’s really the big part. What can they do? What are their struggles? Can we correct what the struggles are?”

Communicating with Williams this offseason is made more complicated by the fact he doesn’t have an agent. His father Carl has been instrumental behind the scenes — enough to make some around the league nervous — but Poles and Carl Williams didn’t meet for the first time until last week's pro day.

“He’s a guy that really cares about his son,” Poles said. “He wants his son to be in a situation where he can be successful. You can just tell there’s a good support structure there.”

Caleb Williams is the first Name, Image and Likeness star to emerge from the college game. Poles said he’s been able to gain insight about Williams' personality from how he handles business.

“It gives them more responsibility,” he said. “It forces them to prioritize – money, business, football, school.”

The Bears expect Williams to take an official visit to Halas Hall next week, where they’ll conduct medical evaluations after he became the first player to skip them at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The Bears will test his football acumen by teaching him plays and then, hours later, having him draw them a whiteboard. They’ll introduce him to staff members around the building and show him their facility. It's one of the final boxes to check in a scouting process that goes back years.

"Make sure that there's compatibility there," Poles said.

Poles has tried to build the best situation he can for a rookie quarterback. Two of their three biggest expenditures this offseason were receiver Keenan Allen and running back D’Andre Swift.

The Bears’ decision to add coordinator Shane Waldron and pair him with pass-game coordinator Thomas Brown and quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph is another.

“The other piece is very forward- thinking … in terms of creating structure to make sure that a young quarterback, especially in our market, that we do set him up for success,” Poles said. “I know for sure that the roster is going to do that.

“It’s important to me to make sure that there’s enough around where he can get off to a fast start and build confidence.”