Gabriel: Bears will trade Fields & also the 1st pick - Both

Assuming they draft one

I'm not so sure Gabriel is well-connected with Halas Hall sources anymore.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think he knows one way or the other.  I think he's spitballing here.  So this may not be true info.

The #1 franchise QB in this draft may not be Caleb Williams.  We "assume" he is, but just like the Stroud situation last year - Maye could possibly be evaluated as better than Williams.  I am not saying that is the case.  So don't get me wrong here.  I'm just saying the Bears are going to focus on getting the BEST guy this time around.  It may not be a slam dunk that the evaluation - that will include the critically important mental/emotional/maturity component - will end up with Caleb Williams being the best QB1 to draft in this class.  He may not be the best and we want the best.  I'm just saying that COULD be a possibility here.  And admittedly I am just spitballing here too. 

Listening to Poles today (multiple times talking with multiple sources) it sure looks like the Bears are drafting the guy they feel is the best QB in this class.  I do believe it will be Caleb Williams - unless they find critical problems regarding his emotional/mental/maturity gears.  A true franchise QB is more than a strong arm or athletic legs.  If they don't possess the elite emotional/mental/maturity gears - then the athletic stuff from college really doesn't survive at the NFL level.  We have seen this countless times in the NFL.  But assuming Caleb Williams passes their eval and is deemed the best QB in this class, it sure sounds like Poles is going to draft him.  That sure was how I took his comments today.  He even made the comment in his pressor (answering a question) that Caleb had some components to his game that were similar to Patrick Mahomes - the guy KC drafted when Ryan Poles was their Director of College Scouting the year prior to Mahomes' draft and Assistant Director of Player Personnel in '18 when they drafted Mahomes... so that (I thought) was a very revealing statement by Poles today.  It's going to be Caleb unless he is a "fail" on the  emotional/mental/maturity part of the Bears' evaluation process.

Right. I said weeks ago that #9 is what we should focus on.  Williams is the only safe choice.  He can’t afford to miss on Stroud and Williams back-to-back. There’s a 1% chance he blows the interview deliberately to get to the Commanders.  I still think that’s what Carter did to get to the Eagles.