The Chicago Bears appear dead set on selecting USC blue-chip quarterback prospect Caleb Williams with their overall no. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft on April 25. It’s a move that many say could be a franchise-altering acquisition for Chicago.

But why?

What kind of 22-year-old is garnering this kind of attention and drawing comparisons to legends such as Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes?

What Makes Caleb Williams Special?

Obviously, there’s the physical aspect of his game. Williams is a phenomenally gifted athlete who can do a bit of everything on the field.

But what appears to make Williams special is the character he has displayed in turning raw physical gifts into a field presence that many have described as almost super-heroic.

“You take a kid, that, pretty much the bulk of his life and all of his high school, I mean, he was waking up at four or five o’clock in the morning and going to the gym and working out on his own, you know, organizing a group of guys to go to catch for him or organizing a group of guys to go work for him,” USC passing game coordinator Dennis Simmons, who also worked with Caleb in Oklahoma, told NBC Sports Chicago. “I mean, that’s not something that you coach…I mean, that tells you about the mentality and the character and the passion that he has for this game.”

That passion and work ethic have worked side by side with leadership instincts and mental toughness to make him the coveted prospect he is today.

“He’s a team guy. He’s an incredibly high character young man,” former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops told NBC Sports Chicago. “The team matters to him…he is a team guy and he cares he cares winning. He’s a winner. Where he goes, he wins.”

“Caleb, to his credit, really helped set the culture for what we wanted to build,” an unnamed former Coach of Williams’ told NBC Sports Chicago. “He set the standard and held himself to the highest standard on the team. And it wasn’t easy. He’s not used to losing and it was hard on him at times. You have to think, coming back the season after you win the Heisman, the pressure is immense.

“Then, you lose a game or two and it really ramps up for him to find a way to fix it. He never let it crack him. He was always the same guy every day. He embraced the pressure and responsibility of being that guy. When things get tough, he doesn’t blink. When he faces it on Sundays, he’ll embrace it and come out the other side. It’s who he is.”

The Rebel Side of Caleb

Another side of Williams– and maybe part of his tough mental makeup– is his rebellious nature, which may play in Chicago like a new-age version of Jim McMahon.

Senior writer for The Guardian, Andrew Lawrence, said this regarding Williams’ frequent “I don’t give a f***” attitude:

“Williams isn’t just irreverent. He’s irrepressible, taking to social media to dunk on writers who have the temerity to suggest he “has never experienced adversity” – which is their way of suggesting he plays against the Black athlete stereotype. Williams was also among the first college football stars to take advantage of the transfer portal, moving to USC from Oklahoma expressly to continue developing under coach Lincoln Riley and also prime himself for the pro game under QB whisperer Kliff Kingsbury, the former Arizona Cardinals head man now running the Washington Commanders offense.”

Criticisms of Caleb Williams

Some experts, however, have used his irreverence and rebel mindset as a point of criticism, insisting that these “bad guy” traits are actually a tell-tale sign of lack of mental toughness. They question his ability to hang in a media-strong city like Chicago where expectations are high and the task of turning the franchise into a winner will be tough.

Football scribe and former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly, for instance, had this to say about Williams and his mindset:

“I believe any team considering Caleb Williams needs to think about the high risk from the neck up based on Williams’ actions, conduct, and words that he’s demonstrated.

From painting his fingernails with obscenities aimed at opponents to refusing to shake hands with Utah and refusing to speak to reporters after the UCLA game, Williams has given NFL owners and decision-makers a lot to talk about.

…He’s much closer to Johnny Manziel than Patrick Mahomes on the spectrum.

…We witnessed Caleb Williams having a mental breakdown right before our eyes crying uncontrollably in his mother’s arms. To me —as a former NFL Scout, he’s the most mentally fragile player I’ve ever evaluated, quarterback or otherwise.”

The Consensus on Caleb

But, despite the random blast here and there against the young star, the consensus is that Williams is the complete package.

Per Lawrence:

“If Williams is being overly nitpicked, it’s because there isn’t much to criticize when it comes to his actual talent. Time and again during his college career, he was touted as the second coming of Patrick Mahomes, adept at executing plays as they were drawn up, and improvising when things broke down. Like Mahomes, Williams can make every throw you can think of and a fair few you can’t – or, as one scout calls them, the “holy s***” throws.

We’ll all know soon enough whether Caleb Williams is the real deal and what he can do in Chicago.