Creativity was big factor in Ryan Poles’ evaluation of Caleb Williams

Creativity is an undervalued and underappreciated part of playing quarterback in the NFL. It’s rare for a play to be executed as it’s drawn up. A missed assignment here, a blitz there, and suddenly, a quarterback is forced to adjust on the fly.

And it’s those quarterbacks who can make something good happen even when everything around them is bad who rise to the top of the NFL’s QB ranks.

The Chicago Bears thought they had a player like that in Justin Fields, the team’s first-round pick in 2021. And while Fields was the kind of athlete who could “create” on his own, he lacked the quarterback playmaking speed to go from an average starter to a good (or even great) one.

It’s a big reason Fields is now a Pittsburgh Steeler. It’s also one of the main reasons why GM Ryan Poles zeroed in on Caleb Williams, whom he selected with the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

A few highlight reel plays Caleb Williams made against Washington #2024NFLDraftProspects pic.twitter.com/Z2CDclvGKG

— Ryan Moran (@_Ryan_Moran_) March 5, 2024

“I had a really good conversation with some basketball guys and some GMs,” Poles said on the Adam Schefter Podcast. “We talked about creativity, and that’s like the new outlier in sports. Guys that are creative and feel the game. They’re not afraid to take chances, and they’re really good when the game is on the line and you need that. Obviously, I came from a place that has someone that is really creative, so all those things stood out to me.”

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That place Poles is referring to is Kansas City, where the Chiefs have ridden the back of Patrick Mahomes and his creativity to three Super Bowl titles.

That’s not to say Caleb Williams will be the next Mahomes, but he certainly has some similar traits: His arm is elite, he’s a deceptively good runner, and when all else fails, he finds a way to make a play.

Indeed, Williams made his fair share of plays for USC over the last two college football seasons, and Bears fans hope he’ll continue his magic at Soldier Field (and wherever the team calls home in future seasons) for years to come.