Analyst makes final draft plea for Bears to pass on Caleb Williams

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams.

In his “who-they-should-take” mock draft published roughly 32 hours before the start of the actual player-selection process, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports argued that the Chicago Bears should make LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and not USC’s Caleb Williams the draft’s first pick.

“Daniels might be slight in build, but he can run, can throw it and he’s the most-improved player I’ve ever seen from early in his career to now,” Prisco explained. “I know there are some critics who say he leaves pockets too soon, but that’s the curse of quarterbacks who can move.”

Prisco compared Daniels to Baltimore Ravens star and two-time Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson.

Prisco noted his take isn’t “predictive,” as just about everybody will enter Thursday assuming that Chicago will draft Williams first overall. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Williams as the overwhelming betting favorite at -20000 odds to be the draft’s first choice. To compare, Daniels was at +2500.

It is, however, worth noting that some NFL coaches and scouts recently echoed ESPN analysts Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky when they suggested they’d draft Daniels over Williams. In March, Ryan Leaf generated headlines when he said he thinks the Bears need to sit Williams throughout his debut pro season.

Prisco insisted in Wednesday’s piece he believes Daniels “will be the best quarterback in this class.” Prisco added that Williams “needs to clean up a lot of stuff for me” and “holds the ball too long.”

As for those who say Daniels “leaves pockets too soon,” he acknowledged earlier this week teams told him during pre-draft interviews that he must be smarter about the hits that he takes during games.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles made it known Tuesday he doesn’t share concerns voiced by others regarding Williams’ personality, his off-the-field interests and his dedication compared to Daniels’ supposed love of football. On Wednesday afternoon, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported he’d “be pretty surprised at this point if” the Washington Commanders don’t select Daniels with the second pick.

Washington ultimately may end up sending Chicago a thank you card for letting Daniels fall to No. 2.

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