Bears Tell Chase Claypool They're Done. Want a 5th or 6th DP

Watching Caleb Williams reminded me of so many "sure thing" QBs who busted at the NFL level in spite of the immense hype-train stuff.  Remember the hype over JaMarcus Russell?  I do.  I've watched over 60 years of "sure thing" guys fail at the NFL level.  There ARE no sure things in the NFL.  The way this works is that the sports media hypes these guys and the meatball fans hungry for a QB buy into the hype train.

Just one of these guys was JaMarcus Russell.  Everyone and their brother called him a generational talent too.  Here's just a few of the hype train comments in the media back then:

"I can't remember being in such awe of a quarterback in my decade of attending combines and pro days. Russell's passing session was the most impressive of all the pro days I've been to. His footwork for such a big quarterback was surprising. He was nimble in his dropbacks, rolling out and throwing on the run. The ball just explodes out of his hands." -- ESPN

"... elite top five quarterbacks in this league... Look out because the skill level that he has is certainly John Elway-like."

"The workout Russell had was Star Wars. It was unbelievable."

"He's like a video game. There's not a throw he can't make and there's some he can make I'm not sure anyone else can make."

"From a physical skill set perspective, I've never seen a college quarterback with more ability than Russell. You put the tape on and it's frightening."

Heisman winners bust too. This is what I have seen over the many decades. Sure thing players often are not. Half the first round drafted guys disappoint. Busts happen every year. That's the NFL.

But fans will still talk about "sure thing" players. I try to take it all with a grain of salt. And we also see guys who never were hyped end up with great careers (even Hall of Fame careers). You just gotta realize these are human beings and you never know how they will perform at the NFL level.