What to make of Ryan Poles’ comments about Caleb Williams at 2024 NFL owners meetings

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles met with the media at the 2024 NFL owners meetings Monday and didn’t hold back his praise for Caleb Williams, the likely first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Poles’ comments were the closest we’ve come to the Bears confirming Williams will be their pick at No. 1 overall. While there’s little to no doubt that Chicago will make Williams their franchise quarterback on April 25, a private visit at Halas Hall, which is scheduled for early next month, must take place before the Bears can officially declare their intentions.

“When you talk to his teammates, they don’t like him, they love him,” Poles said Monday. “His leadership, how he brings people together…I’m having a hard time finding a person that doesn’t like him or even love him and thinks that he can’t reach the highest limits.”

Williams began the 2024 NFL Draft process with few on-field questions to answer. Sure, some doubters believe he can’t play within structure, but that’s quickly been dispelled. Other critics believe his off-field persona won’t work well in an NFL locker room, especially one that was just vacated by Justin Fields, a beloved member of the team. But Caleb Williams has done everything a draft prospect can possibly do to erase those doubts, including impressing the most important person in the 2024 NFL Draft: Bears general manager Ryan Poles.

Poles shared a story Monday about Williams not touching his phone during his time with the Bears. He described it as “rare” for a 22-year-old to show that kind of focus on the moment, which I think we all can agree with. Those smartphone apps are tough to resist.

Perhaps Williams keeping his phone out of hand will be viewed as no big deal by some. But Ryan Poles made it clear throughout the draft process that he wants to get to know Caleb Williams, the person, more than anything else. Sometimes, a simple act like respecting the time of the people you’re with and not being distracted by outside noise can go a long way in learning who someone is.

It certainly seems that the Chicago Bears have learned enough about Caleb Williams to feel comfortable selecting him No. 1 overall on April 25.