2024 NFL Combine Thread: Schedule, Coverage & Bears' Stuff.

LOL, gotta admit that the Bears often go for the freaks.

I saw that reported by Mike Florio about an hour ago.  Instead he will throw at his own pro day where he can control things by throwing "to his people" and not go through drills where the other top QBs in this draft can compete with him.  While I see why he might do this (he doesn't have to because he is going #1), it is just another (small) red flag about the guy.  Yeah, not a huge deal.  But taken in context with the other things "his people" have put out about him, you do take pause about him at the NFL level.  He won't be able to control things in the NFL with "his people" like he did in college - and I wonder how he will react to that?

Yeah, you look at that and think it's not a big deal.  And really it isn't a big deal.  I get it, he's going to be the #1 pick of this draft no matter what.  So why take a chance on looking worse than one of the top guns like Maye or Daniels (Maye looks like a better pure passer... not necessarily as good a QB though).  And the fact that he is going to negotiate his own contracts and not have an agent isn't a big deal, but it's just another thing that makes me a bit uneasy.  But as all these things trickle out, as small as they are, it does make you a tiny bit worried about drafting him.  It is an uneasy feeling that he may not be the can't miss generational QB success story once he is in the NFL.  Rich Eisen tossed it out on his show today that the Bears know what they have in Justin Fields, while they don't know what they are getting in Caleb Williams.  They were talking about breaking down tape on these college QBs and how much of their college game simply does not translate to the NFL.  Maybe that's why so many QBs are not accurately assessed and you get surprises like Stroud vs Bryce Young.  Or Smith getting drafted so far ahead of Aaron Rodgers, or all 32 teams passing over Tom Brady for 6 rounds.  

I'd keep Fields and do the tiny trade down and reap the harvest that would give us.  I know that won't happen.  But for the fans who want Caleb I'd say be careful what you wish for - you might just get it, and have a nasty surprise.  

Anyway, it does make me a tiny bit uneasy when I consider all of these little things, that could add up to something bigger.  

I don't want to make too big of a deal out of these guys not doing some of the Combine stuff (and this goes beyond just the QB position guys).  Really the passing drills don't show us as much as actual game play that is on tape.  And just to be clear about this, I'm not saying Caleb Williams won't be a great NFL quarterback... but rather I just add up a number of tiny things we've seen about him and I'm feeling a bit uneasy about the guy.  Not saying we shouldn't draft him, but that it may not be the slam dunk pick that the "experts" tell us he is.  It's just a bit of a nagging doubt about the guy when I add up the negatives.  Every QB drafted, no matter how big the hype-train is about him - is a risk to some extent.  A real risk.  I keep thinking that if the Bears can't develop the kid they got from Ohio State 3 years ago, then they have a real problem.  He has the talent.  And when I recently (last week) spent time re-watching the video on Fields and Caleb I came away believing Fields has more talent than Caleb - if you are going by their college tape.  The Bears simply dropped the ball with Fields - and the reasons (not excuses but reasons) are legit mistakes that were made.  LOL, but I get it.  The herd-mentality now is to jump up on the Caleb hype train with all bliinders in place, believing that he is a "sure thing" and a lock to be a "generational talent" and oh, how I hate the way the "generational talent" term is thrown around nowadays for all pro sports.  It is so over used to hype kids.  It is the new buzz word now.