Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles compared Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams on Tuesday during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Poles made the comparison after Mahomes just won his third Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs and is viewed as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, still with a majority of his career to play.
Williams is nearly guaranteed to be the No 1 selection in this April’s NFL Draft. It is only a matter of what team chooses him first. Chicago currently owns the top overall choice.
The Bears have been linked to the possibility of drafting Williams for well over a year. Chicago acquired the pick from the Panthers last year.
The only reason it is not a slam dunk that Williams would be drafted by the Bears is due to the team having Justin Fields, who has been Chicago’s primary starter for the last three seasons after being drafted by the team in the first round in 2021.
Mahomes is one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks of all-time after winning his third Super Bowl
Williams looks to have phenomenal NFL potential and has drawn comparisons to Mahomes
‘There’s pieces that are similar,’ Poles said Tuesday. ‘Obviously, the one stands out to everyone is just different arm angles. That’s a unique trait, not a lot of guys can do that.’
‘There’s artists, and then there’s surgeons,’ Poles added.
Poles stated his belief that Williams and Mahomes are ‘artists’ because of their ability to ‘draw outside the lines’ and be creative. Therefore, surgeons are more tactical, like the examples Poles gave of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
Williams has lofty NFL expectations due to his playmaking ability at USC and the comparisons to some of the league’s best quarterbacks before taking a professional snap.
Williams has been the top-rated quarterback in the 2024 Draft class for well over a year
Chicago will likely have to make a decision on Fields before March 13, when the NFL’s free agent signing period begins and the team would have to budget for retaining its quarterback, or allocate money for Williams.
The Bears have yet to win more than seven games in one season with Fields directing the offense, although Chicago’s overall roster has not given the former Ohio State standout too much help over the last three years.
Moving on from Fields would reset Chicago’s quarterback timeline and give the rebuilding franchise more of a safety net to build an elite roster around its signal caller.
The Bears biggest draft needs do not include a quarterback. Not pulling the trigger on drafting Williams could prove to be prolonging the inevitable if Fields cannot lead the team to playoff success.
Several teams would be happy to acquire Williams’ services, including the Washington Commanders, who have the No 2 overall pick.
