Chicago Bears: Drafting Caleb Williams would be a huge mistake

Williams is not the savior people seem to think he is

People who love Williams compare him to back-to-back champion Patrick Mahomes. They feel Williams can step in and bring the Bears back to greatness. They cite Justin Fields' three-year career that hasn't amounted to much. Having three play-callers and two head coaches tends to mix your head. Additionally, it is tough when an offensive coordinator tries to change who you are as a player.

Former NFL player (one year with the Chicago Bears) and football analyst Merril Hoge had a harsh assessment of Williams. He certainly does not agree with the "Williams is like Mahomes" narrative.

"He is not something unique like a Patrick Mahomes. And I hope the Bears don't think, Let's try to make up for our mistake when we passed on the Patrick Mahomes and go get the Patrick Mahomes. The kid is not Patrick Mahomes - he ain't even remotely close to that"

- Merril Hoge

Hoge also agreed that Fields hasn't been in the fairest situation. In his three seasons, he's had Bill Lazor and Luke Getsy as offensive coordinators. Additionally, Matt Nagy took over playcalling for Lazor. He also had Matt Eberflus as his head coach in 2023.

After his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2022, Williams threw for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns. That is pretty good right? Well, let's take a deeper dive into those stats.

Of his touchdown throws, half of them came against three teams -- San Jose State (4), Nevada (5), and Colorado (6). Additionally, about 28 percent of his passing yards (1,000) came against those teams. Were those teams powerhouses? Not exactly. The three teams combined for 13 total wins. San Jose State had seven of them.

Against ranked teams, Williams was 2-9. That is when you are supposed to step up. He did not find himself playing against tough defenses in his career in the Pac-12. He got a chance to perform well outside of his conference against better competition.

Williams has talent. That is not in doubt. Does he have "generational" talent, however? He has to show that when he faces stiffer competition at the higher level.