Caleb Williams is the only choice Chicago can make, and ESPN's Mike Greenberg explains it perfectly
Caleb Williams stands alone in the 2024 NFL Draft as the only logical choice for the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 pick in the draft. During Wednesday’s broadcast of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Mike Greenberg perfectly illustrated why.
A lot of the debate in the pre-draft process has been whether or not the Bears will continue developing Justin Fields or opt to select Williams and trade Fields for additional capital. The option of trading out of the No. 1 pick is also there, but Greenberg says it’s a simple decision.
“I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve been covering sports 30 years, and the most common thing GMs do in this situation is they do the thing least likely to get them fired,” said Greenberg. “And drafting Caleb Williams is the thing least likely to get you fired.”
He went on to describe the situation through the lens of Trevor Lawrence, a former No. 1 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Per Greenberg, there will not be much blowback to the franchise if Lawrence doesn’t work out, and the situation is similar with Williams.
“Let’s say Trevor Lawrence doesn’t live up to the hype… no one is going to say that was a bad pick, why in the world did they take him because everyone in the world would have taken him. If you pass on Caleb Williams and he winds up being really good, then you are the guy who passed on Caleb Williams for the rest of your life,” Greenberg explained. “They’re going to take him if for that reason only.”
“Drafting Caleb Williams is the thing least likely to get you fired.”
—@Espngreeny and the Get Up crew sound off on how much pre-draft hype can influence decisions ? pic.twitter.com/sGM5ND5yg1
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 28, 2024
Williams still leads the overall odds to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, and fans can track all the NFL Draft odds and trends with Saturday Out West’s ESPN Bet links.
Why Greenberg’s assessment is correct
Ultimately, the only reason a debate persists for Chicago is the existence of Fields on the roster. It’s a fun and spirited debate, and Fields does appear to be developing. However, Williams would be far and away the best prospect between the two if both players entered the draft today.
If Chicago did not already have a young quarterback on the roster, the only debate in the draft would be who becomes the No. 2 pick in the draft and so on. Through that lens alone, it makes absolute sense for the Bears to select Williams.
The other point to consider is Chicago’s original selection of Fields. The Bears originally traded up to draft Fields in the 2021 Draft, putting even more pressure on the original pick. Doubling down on Fields, over selecting Williams, would put additional pressure on a player in a make-or-break season entering 2024.
Even considering Fields’ development, no GM is likely to take that risk with a player the magnitude of Williams available in the draft. The low-risk option is to select Williams and give him some additional help with Chicago’s additional first-round pick, either on the line or in the receiving game.
Some years, the decision for the No. 1 pick is a tough debate, but this year’s decision should be an easy one for Chicago when the time comes.