NFL Insider Ranks Caleb Williams 3rd Behind Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye ahead of Draft

It is widely assumed at this point the Chicago Bears will use the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams, but not everyone agrees he is the best signal-caller available.

On Thursday, Ben Standig of The Athletic published assessments from a group of 17 different evaluators that included two active general managers, three personnel executives, three scouts, three former general managers, one former head coach, four former players and one assistant coach, and three of them listed LSU's Jayden Daniels ahead of Williams.

What's more, one listed Williams as third behind Daniels and North Carolina's Drake Maye and pointed to "possible disruption from Williams' famously involved camp."

Those evaluators aren't the only ones to question whether Williams is the surefire top pick, as B/R's NFL Scouting Department listed him as the second-best quarterback behind Maye on its big board and projected him as the No. 2 overall pick behind Maye in its mock draft.

Still, it would be shocking if the Bears took anyone else.

He has already met and dined with members of the front office and players and has the potential to develop into the game-changing franchise quarterback the team has seemingly always been missing.

The Bears are also in a win-now position with playmakers such as DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet, D'Andre Swift and Gerald Everett on the roster. It is an ideal situation for a rookie quarterback to find quick success, and the playoffs will be a realistic goal if Williams can live up to the hype.

But some draft evaluators apparently believe the playoffs would be even more in reach if the Bears took Daniels or Maye instead.