Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. released his first mock draft of the year on Monday night, and he has the Bears dead-on with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. In a video posted to YouTube, Kiper Jr. explained why he believes the Bears will select USC quarterback Caleb Williams when they release their draft card in April.
“Caleb Williams is just too good,” said Kiper Jr. “You go back to 2022 and he was almost perfect.”
Williams won the Heisman Trophy that season when he completed 66.7% of his passes for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions, as well as an additional 382 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
“He gives you the arm talent, the ability to see the field and also do things from an improvisational standpoint that only the greats can do,” Kiper Jr. said. “He can turn a play that's going to be disastrous into a positive play convert and get you into field goal range, maybe set up a touchdown or create a touchdown where no one else could.”
Some people have been critical of Williams' 2023 season, pointing to a weak three-interception performance against the Fighting Irish or his decline in production (324 pass yards/game in 2022 vs. 303 pass yards/gm in 2023). But Kiper Jr. dismissed much of the criticism Williams has faced recently.
“I think when you're at the top, people want to push you out of your place. I think when you're at the top as an underclassman, you win a Heisman trophy, you're almost perfect, and you come out on top that year – I thought he was going to win the Heisman again… then they start saying, “Well, this game, that game. Then they pick apart different things that they see.”
Some critics have pointed to Williams crying in the stands with his mother after a loss, his painted nails or his desire to one day own his own team as warning signs. Kiper doesn't see it that way.
“To me, a lot of it is nonsense. I went back and studied two years ago and there isn't much to dislike this year. You have to love this child.”
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