‘Pretty sweet’: Bowers likes idea of playing alongside Williams with Bears
INDIANAPOLIS — Many Bears fans have dreamed of a Caleb Williams-Brock Bowers connection forming in Chicago since the team owns two top-10 picks in this year’s NFL Draft.
Bowers doesn’t hate the idea himself.
“It’d be pretty sweet,” Bowers said Thursday at the NFL Combine. “You saw what he did at USC. Hopefully he translates well to the next level. It’d be awesome to be another top rookie like that.”
Hypotheticals are a major part of the NFL offseason and Bowers let himself go down the rabbit hole during his media availability Thursday. He was excited about the thought of playing with Williams, who many experts call the most-talented quarterback prospect of this year’s draft.
A lot will need to happen in order for the quarterback-tight end duo to end up in Chicago. The Bears own both the No. 1 and No. 9 picks in the upcoming draft set for April, and Bears general manager Ryan Poles still needs to decide whether they’ll keep quarterback Justin Fields or select a new quarterback with the top pick.
Even if Poles does select Williams and wants Bowers at nine, Bowers might not be there. Different mock drafts have Bowers as a top-five or a top-10 pick depending on how many quarterbacks and wide receivers come off the board with the first few selections.
The Bears also would need to decide whether they want (or need) to have two high-upside tight ends. They signed Cole Kmet to a four-year, $50 million deal in July.
Despite the hypothetical, Bowers said he met with the Bears and enjoyed his visit with the team and the thought of playing with Kmet.
“I love watching Cole Kmet,” Bowers said. “He does a great job in all aspects of the game. It’d be exciting.”
Bowers is catching a lot of attention from draft experts after a strong junior season with Georgia. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end caught 56 passes for 714 yards and 6 touchdowns last season. He previously caught 882 and 942 yards, respectively, during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Bowers finds himself as the top tight end prospect during a time when the position is as important as it’s ever been. Many successful offenses have a talented tight end, including both teams that competed in the Super Bowl in February, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle.
He’s excited to be a part of a new generation for the position.
“Tight end is a prime position to be in right now,” Bowers said. “I’m glad it’s now.”
Whether that’ll be with the Bears remains to be seen. But in the meantime, it’s fun for fans and Bowers to dream about.