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          Sources: Caleb Williams visits with Bears ahead of NFL draft

          • Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterApr 4, 2024, 11:55 AM
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              Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

          CHICAGO -- USC quarterback Caleb Williams was inside Halas Hall on Wednesday for his pre-draft visit with the Bears, sources confirmed to ESPN.

          Williams, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, dined with Bears brass Tuesday before taking his prospect visit Wednesday, sources said.

          General manager Ryan Poles said last week that Williams would be part of the team's first big wave of top-30 visits during the first week of April. (Teams can bring in up to 30 draft-eligible prospects for pre-draft visits.) That includes Alabama outside linebacker Dallas Turner, who visited with the Bears on Wednesday, and Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, who will be at Halas Hall on Thursday, a source said. The Bears hold 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 -- including an 80-minute one-on-one session with Williams and Bears coach Matt Eberflus -- Chicago aimed to continue to test Williams' football acumen while allowing him to get a feel for the place that is expected to be his destination as a rookie.

          "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."

          Added Eberflus: "We'll just continue on with some of the install that we installed there in 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 was also a chance for the Bears to have Williams undergo medical testing in their facility.

          Last month, Williams said he planned to do medical evaluations during private visits with teams after skipping that portion of the NFL combine. It is unclear whether the quarterback has other visits planned before the draft, which starts April 25.

          ESPN 1000 Chicago first reported on Williams' visit with the Bears.