USC quarterback Caleb Williams visited Halas Hall on Wednesday for his pre-draft meeting with the Bears, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Williams, anticipated to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, dined with Bears executives on Tuesday before his prospect visit on Wednesday, sources said.
General manager Ryan Poles mentioned last week that Williams would be part of the team’s initial wave of top-30 visits during the first week of April. (Teams can host up to 30 draft-eligible prospects for pre-draft visits.)
Chicago Bears Team (Via NFL)
This group includes Alabama outside linebacker Dallas Turner, who also visited the Bears on Wednesday, and Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, who is scheduled to visit Halas Hall on Thursday, according to a source.
The Bears have the Nos. 1 and 9 picks in the first round of the draft.
After spending three days with Williams last month in Los Angeles ahead of USC’s pro day — which included an 80-minute one-on-one session with Williams and Bears coach Matt Eberflus — Chicago aimed to further assess Williams’ football knowledge while giving him a sense of his potential new team.
“I’ve done this over the years when guys come in. You can really do some installations, take a break and then have them reinstall back to you just in terms of recall,” Poles said. “Build relationships with coaches. Make sure that there’s compatibility there.”
Caleb Williams (Via NFL)
Eberflus added, “We’ll just continue on with some of the install that we started at the pro day. We’ll keep continuing on that journey, teaching him more of the offense and then having him give it back to us and see where he is that way.
He’s been great that way. Again, spend some more time visiting with him. He’ll get a chance to spend some more time with the offensive staff that wasn’t there at the pro day. It’s going to be good.”
Wednesday also allowed the Bears to conduct medical testing on Williams at their facility.
Last month, Williams stated he planned to do medical evaluations during private visits with teams after skipping that portion of the NFL combine. It is unclear whether he has additional visits planned before the draft, which begins on April 25.
