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When the Bears traded out of the No. 1 pick in 2023 and, through a series of incredibly fortunate events that included help from former coach Lovie Smith, landed the top pick in 2024 instead, it was perfect timing.
Not only was it the right year for teams to look for quarterbacks in a draft class stocked with them, but they had first right of refusal to the consensus, runaway leader in Caleb Williams. He lit up the scoreboard at USC, won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and was not only the near-unanimous favorite in his class, but widely thought to be the best quarterback prospect in three years.