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Former USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is projected to go be the No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft. But Ryan Leaf has doubts about the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner starting right away in his rookie season.
Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, Ryan Leaf said that as good as Williams is, he will have to sit in 2024 to develop as a quarterback.
Leaf emphasized on stability, adding that if they miss the playoffs, Matt Eberflus will get fired and Williams will have to start fresh under a new head coach, making it the "worst possible scenario" for him.
"I just don't think he can be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears this year," Leaf said. "I think what he has done in college doesn't necessarily translate very well to the NFL right away. He spent a lot of his time vacating the pocket off the back."
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He added:
"It's the worst possible scenario for him because simply they're a playoff team... If they don't make the playoffs or if they stumble early, or they're in a place, I don't care if it's a rookie quarterback, Matt Eberflus is gone. So now you're talking about a rookie quarterback now and a new head coach, again, with a new offense again, you've just set him up for absolute failure."
Ryan Leaf understands the expectations of being a top QB prospect. Entering the 1998 draft, he and Peyton Manning were considered the best of the lot. The Chargers drafted Leaf as the second overall pick to be the savior of the franchise.
But his rookie season and his stint with the Chargers was an abject failure. He only played two seasons and courted a lot of off-field controversies, before being released in 2001.
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Caleb Williams is excited about playing in Chicago and reviving the Bears
Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams appeared on The Pivot podcast and discussed expectations for himself and why he is excited to play in the city of Chicago.
"Now that I want to play one place for 20 years and chase one guy number 12 [Tom Brady] I want a place that loves ball. You know, that's all I've heard about Chicago so far."
"So yeah, really excited that's the place and you know, that's the city to light up and bring back and revive and make game days and everything really, really fun and enjoyable."
As the 2024 NFL Draft nears, all eyes are set on Caleb Williams, who has been spoken of as a generational talent. The Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick and are likely to take Williams, as Ryan Poles looks to build back the franchise with the top pick.
The 2024 NFL Draft starts at 8:00 p.m. ET on April 25, Thursday.
