It’s been obvious for weeks that the Bears intend to select Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall to begin this year’s draft on Thursday night.
But Chicago General Manager Ryan Poles still didn’t say those words during his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday.
“So unfortunately, it’s one of those things I think everyone’s got to tune in on Thursday to watch and figure out,” Poles said with a smile, via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com. “But I feel really good about our process and where we are and where we’re headed. So we know what we’re going to do but everyone is going to have to wait until Thursday.”
It became clear Williams was the choice when the Bears traded Justin Fields to the Steelers in March. Since then, Bears officials have met with Williams in Los Angeles before his Pro Day and then in Chicago for his top 30 visit.
During his trip to the Midwest, Williams had dinner with several Bears players — including receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet. Poles noted the positive feedback he received from Chicago’s veterans.
“Really intelligent guy. Came across as a really good teammate, easy to talk to, down to earth,” Poles said. “We’ve talked through this process about the whole Hollywood thing. He’s all ball, wants to work, wants to get better, wants to win as a team. That’s the No. 1 thing for him on top of being successful. I think the biggest thing is: Does he fit in our culture and what we’re trying to do? And all signs were that he does, so that was positive.”
Poles added that Williams’ visit to Chicago “just confirmed a lot of the information that we got” about the QB.
“You know, there’s a kind of test to where his football understanding is,” Poles said. “That part, getting him with some of our players. That’s important to us. We’re in a really good place with our culture in our locker room. As much as I can I want those guys a part of the process of building this team. I trust their feedback, and I think that chemistry is really important, so that’s why we did that.”
Chicago will end the “suspense” of who the No. 1 overall pick will be in just two days.
