Sports
Quarterback-starved Chicago wondering if Caleb Williams is (finally) the right answer
In keeping with tradition, the top prospects in the NFL draft participated in a youth football event Wednesday and then met on the field with the media.
Twelve of those future pros wore NFL-issued gray sweats.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the likely No. 1 overall pick who marches to his own drumbeat, broke ranks and wore blue.
“This one actually has a little more fur on the inside,” Williams said, turning his neckline to show the inside of his sweatshirt. “You prepare for the moment.”
Good that he’s prepared for the cold. Williams almost certainly is heading for the Chicago Bears. And the chilly breeze on an overcast April day in Detroit is nothing compared to the historical headwinds of playing quarterback in Chicago — and the icy blowback if things don’t go as planned.
“The fans here in town are gun-shy when it comes to quarterbacks because we’ve been wandering in the quarterback desert for centuries, or let’s say decades,” said Tom Waddle, the former Bears receiver turned ESPN radio host in Chicago. “There’s a certain percentage of folks who believe they’re still going to screw this up.”
Caleb Williams reacts after a throw during an NFL Football Play Football Prospect Clinic with Special Olympics athletes in Detroit. The USC quarterback is predicted to be taken first in the draft by the Chicago Bears.
(Carlos Osorio / Associated Press)
Waddle has high hopes for Williams, and his enthusiasm isn’t dampened by USC losing five of their final six games last season — much of that blame goes to a porous defense — or the quarterback sobbing into the shoulder of his mom after an especially painful defeat.
“I’m not guaranteeing that Caleb’s going to be a Hall of Famer and take this team back to the promised land,” Waddle said. “I feel very good about what he can bring to this team, and I think he’s walking into a really good situation where the infrastructure is very good for a guy that’s being picked first overall.”
The Bears have gone 17 years without consecutive winning seasons. They used first-round picks on quarterbacks Justin Fields (2021) and Mitch Trubisky (2017), and traded a package of picks to Denver — including two first-rounders — for Jay Cutler. None of those players proved to be the answer.
“That’s the thing about Chicago, they’ve run two quarterbacks out of town who were first-round picks and highly touted,” said former Bears quarterback Jim Miller, referring to Fields and Trubisky. “So I think there’s some trepidation from Bears fans that, hey, this can’t happen again. This has to be the guy.”
Miller, now a host for Sirius XM NFL Radio, left open the remote possibility that the Bears could shock the NFL world and take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy instead.
“J.J. McCarthy has shot up these boards so much because of how disciplined he is in his play,” Miller said. “So I would not rule out him, either. I think everybody assumes it’s Caleb Williams. I think he’s probably the most talented guy. But I wouldn’t rule out McCarthy, because Caleb has had his issues with turnovers.”
There’s actually a cluster of quarterbacks likely to hear their names early Thursday night, including Louisiana State’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
“It’s a great class,” Williams said. “It’s one of the best classes, I would say, that’s come out. High-talented class. … I’m excited for everyone else’s future.”
Williams is unapologetic about his unconventional style, which included posing in a dress for a GQ photo shoot.
“I feel comfy in my own skin,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I feel comfy in who I am, how hard I work, what I do in my daily life, how I act, how I treat people with respect.”
He flashed his pinkies to reveal silver nail polish.
“You go to a nail salon and it’s peaceful,” he said. “It’s something that not many people are doing. But I go there and I just sit down, I throw on my [headphones], I turn on a movie. I’m chilling, not bothered by anything other than what I want to be bothered by.”
Williams likes being unconventional. With his attire Wednesday, he turned an annual NFL event into a different kind of blue-gray game. He happily breaks with tradition.
Nobody wants to break with tradition more than the Bears.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Now the NBA playoffs are in the swing of things.
Let’s check out the odds for the second round of the playoffs, at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 11.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
EAST SECOND ROUND
No. 7 PHILADELPHIA vs. No. 3 NEW YORK
NYK wins 4-0
No. 4 CLEVELAND (+200) vs. No. 1 DETROIT (-250)
DET leads 2-1
GAME 4 — DET @ CLE (May 11)
Spread: Cavs -3.5
Moneyline: Pistons +140, Cavs -166
O/U: 213.5
What to know: This has been a weird series. Each team has yet to lose on its home court, and the games haven’t seen much domination on either side. Take Game 3 for example: Cleveland held Detroit to 18 points in the second quarter and took a 16-point lead into halftime. Then, in the third quarter, the Pistons held the Cavs to 19 points, cutting that deficit to two heading into the fourth. But Cleveland put together its highest-scoring quarter of the game in the final frame to emerge with a seven-point win.
WEST SECOND ROUND
No. 4 LOS ANGELES (+7000) vs. No. 1 OKLAHOMA CITY (-20000)
OKC leads 3-0
GAME 4 — OKC @ LAL (May 11)
Spread: Thunder -11.5
Moneyline: Thunder -520, Lakers +390
O/U: 214.5
What to know: It appears the Lakers just don’t have the firepower to compete with the Thunder. OKC has won the first three games of the series by a combined 59 points (19.7 points per game), including a 23-point win in Game 3 in Los Angeles. And consider this: SGA is averaging just 21 points per game on 46% shooting. The Thunder are stacked, and sit at 7-0 in the postseason so far.
No. 6 MINNESOTA (+320) vs. No. 3 SAN ANTONIO (-390)
Tied 2-2
GAME 5 — MIN @ SAS (May 12)
Spread: Spurs -10.5
Moneyline: Spurs -410, Wolves +320
O/U: 218.5
What to know: We’ve got a series on our hands. Now tied at 2-2, both of these teams have won once at home and once on the other team’s home floor, with the Wolves winning a crucial Game 4 in Minnesota. But that wasn’t the story of the night. Victor Wembanyama was assessed a Flagrant 2 in the first half of Game 4, and was ejected from the game, after hitting Naz Reid with a vicious elbow to the head. He will play Game 5, but how chippy might things be after that?
Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy is in stable condition after being shot at a concert early Sunday morning in Mississippi, the university’s football program said in a statement Monday morning.
Hardy underwent surgery after sustaining a gunshot wound, according to the team, which added that a timeline for his return to football activities is unknown at this time.
“Ahmad is deeply loved by his teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans,” the team’s statement said. “We will continue to stand beside him and his family through this difficult time, offering our love, prayers, strength and support.”
According to ESPN, Hardy is alert and moving around Monday morning.
Details from the shooting are unclear.
A native of Oma, Miss., Hardy spent his freshman season at Louisiana-Monroe, where he rushed 257 times for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He transferred to Missouri last season and rushed 256 times for 1,649 yards (second among FBS players) and 16 touchdowns. In addition, Hardy earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award for college football’s top running back.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Indiana Pacers’ risky move backfired after the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery saw them lose their top pick altogether in a disastrous turn of events on Sunday afternoon.
Heading into the lottery, the Pacers, who went 19-63 just one season after reaching the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference, had a 52.1% chance of having a top-four pick.
However, when they didn’t see their team chosen in the first four picks – Indiana also had a 14% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick – it was time to panic.
Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard speaks during a press conference to announce center Miles Turner’s contract extension at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Jan. 30, 2023. (Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports)
The reason? The Pacers included their first-round pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac, but they only made it a top-four protected pick. That means, if the Pacers were chosen in the lottery as a top-four selection, they would be able to keep it.
But the Pacers were chosen as the No. 5 pick, and the Clippers now own the selection in next month’s draft.
NBA LOTTERY CHAOS: WASHINGTON WIZARDS STRIKE GOLD, PACERS PAY FOR TANKING GAMBLE NIGHTMARE
As a result, Pacers team president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard took full responsibility for the move, apologizing on social media.
“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” he wrote on X. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.”
Signage is displayed during the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, on May 10, 2026. (Melissa Tamez/NBAE/Getty Images)
The Pacers were viewed as a team that were actively tanking despite the NBA’s attempt to crack down on such a season, with the lottery being one way of that. And it clearly worked this time around.
Pritchard was trying to be transparent and honest with the Pacers fan base, but people were quick to jump in the comments to make their thoughts, and gripes, known.
“You lose Myles Turner and add Zubac,” one X user began. “You lose [Benedict] Mathurin and the number 5 pick with absolutely nothing in return. This is why fans are upset, for a center who not even a top 5 center in the NBA. Who trades their future away for Ivan [sic] Zubac???”
Another X user called this a “generational draft,” and couldn’t fathom the Pacers won’t be picking from a deep class.
“If I were a Pacers fan and my team traded away a top 5 pick for Ivica Zubac in the middle of a tanking season I would be beyond devastated,” a fellow X user wrote.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton shoots around on the court before an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis on April 7, 2026. (Doug McSchooler/AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The Pacers were without their All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton all season long after he suffered an Achilles injury during the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Indiana still has key members of that team returning next season, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith.
However, this 2026 draft class is quite the spectacle, with many believing it to be deep considering the talent of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, and Duke’s Cam Boozer, among others.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
-
Politics5 minutes agoTrump Proposes Suspending Federal Gas Tax Until Prices Fall
-
Business11 minutes agoKennedy Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence
-
Science18 minutes agoA Fish That Hitches Rides Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine
-
Health23 minutes agoDoctors Reveal the 3 Surprising Weight-Loss Hacks Nobody Talks About
-
Culture36 minutes agoDo You Recognize These Snappy Lines From Popular Crime Novels?
-
Lifestyle41 minutes agoThanks to ‘Mormon Wives,’ Dirty Soda Is a National Obsession
-
Education47 minutes agoCursive Club, Where Students Learn With a Flourish
-
Technology53 minutes agoTexas sues Netflix for advertising ‘bait and switch’ and spying