The serious problem that ‘has to get fixed’ for Caleb Williams to succeed in NFL as No. 1 draft pick with Chicago Bears

Being surrounded by the right head coach and general manager will be essential for Caleb Williams.

So will resolving the on-field issues that held Williams back in 2023, the year after he won the Heisman Trophy at USC.

Williams is so talented and his NFL ceiling so high that he is considered a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears on April 25 in Detroit.

But his final college season was slowed by a 7-5 record, while Jayden Daniels excelled at LSU to win the final Heisman and JJ McCarthy led Michigan to the national championship.

Leading Williams in the pros is ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller.

The football issues need to be addressed, however, for the USC QB to become a true franchise QB in Chicago.

“I think with Caleb there are things in his game that are rare and unique and special,” Miller told talkSPORT exclusively. “There are also things that will need to be repaired.

“He had eight fumbles last year. That’s going to have to be fixed. He’s going to have to step up the way he plays to some extent.”

Williams fumbled six times at Oklahoma, losing one.

He reduced his fumbling issues during his Heisman season in 2022, fumbling only three times and giving up only one.

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But Williams missed a career-high eight times in 2023, losing three, while USC disappointed and fell out of the national picture.

Chicago has so much confidence in Williams that the Bears traded away former first-round QB Justin Fields and received little in return.

Williams is so confident that he showed off a pink cell phone case while watching a women’s basketball game, then verbally attacked haters for hating his personal style.

“I just talked to an NFL general manager about Caleb last week and he said, ‘Love him,'” Miller said. “The cool thing is his teammates love him.

“He’s that modern quarterback who’s not afraid to (show emotion). It’s not like he’s slamming his helmet on the sideline in frustration. He’s emotional.”

In the pros, Williams needs to be surrounded by offensive talent, just like Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and Brock Purdy in San Francisco.

Then it comes down to the expected No. 1 pick to be very effective in running a modern offense and not try to do too much on his own.

“Chicago has done a great job of building a framework around itself, which is extremely important,” Miller said. “I would say there’s a 90 percent chance he’ll be a Pro Bowl quarterback and lead Chicago to a sustained run of contenders.”