The NFL Draft is just a month away and all eyes are on the Chicago Bears and the the presumptive number one pick, Caleb Williams.
But while the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner awaits the draft, he's continuing to just go about his life as a 22-year-old at USC. On March 25, just five days after the USC Pro Day, Williams was seen supporting the USC Trojans Women's Basketball team in the Women's March Madness Tournament.
Williams, who played two seasons at quarterback for the Trojans, was shown on screen and did a little dance which showed his hands passing over his face. During his little dance move, one of his hands showed him holding his phone.
His phone was color pink, and so were his finger nails. This caused a huge stir on social media.
Future NFL #1 draft pick Caleb Williams watching USC vs. Kansas 🔥pic.twitter.com/ohlaaExStU
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 26, 2024
There were several jokes made about Caleb Williams, some playful and some homophobic.
Caleb Williams with a pink phone, pink nails, pink wallet, and lip gloss?
— GhettoGronk (@TheGhettoGronk) March 26, 2024
QB1 is a bad bitch 💅 pic.twitter.com/mmx2MldqkR
caleb williams at bears training camp pic.twitter.com/Gqa5LJ7pw3
— stoolie memes (@StoolieMemes) March 26, 2024
Kyle Brandt and Caleb Williams vs. the internet
Kyle Brandt, one of the hosts of "Good Morning Football" and noted Bears fan, saw some of these attacks on Williams and took to his defense in a passionate rant on the popular NFL Network show on Thursday, March 28.
He acknowledged that some of the memes on X (formerly Twitter) were just a part of being successful, but that some were out of line.
"I engaged a little bit and I began seeing caveman Twitter with not just jokes but real authentic opinions and diatribes about Caleb's personality and his tastes being a problem and becoming red flags — and then I got genuinely annoyed," Brandt said.
Brandt cited three talking points that he saw on social media, though he didn't express who said it, and came with a rebuttal for each one.
Talking Point No. 1: "That's not a leader of men."
Brandt's defense: "The most important qualities in a leader are being confident being secure with yourself being bold and having everyone you're leading want to follow you find any teammate Caleb has had across two major programs say one bad thing about Caleb, let alone that he's weird or eccentric."
Talking Point No. 2: "That's not going to work in the locker room."
Brandt's defense: "Those are the words of the most basic bad radio caller to a terrible radio show in 1992. That's not going to work in the locker room. What the hell do you know? ... Do you know that the personalities and perspectives in this league have evolved dramatically?"
Talking Point No. 3: "He's too Hollywood for the NFL."
Brandt's defense: "Do you know what it's like to be 22 years old living in LA with some fame and some money in your pocket? It's intoxicating. You make some unconventional choices, believe me. Maybe things you look back and shake your head at later." Brandt said this while showing an unflattering picture of himself from his time in his 20s living in Los Angeles.
He went on to say that Williams has not made any mistakes and should actually be praised for being a "self-made multimillionaire." He also spoke for the city of Chicago, saying that the team's also fallen in love with an eccentric athlete in the past — particularly in the 90s when actions out of the social norm were even more scrutinized — and that was former Chicago Bull Dennis Rodman.
Ultimately, Brandt said, the Bears, who have struggled to find a star quarterback in the history of their iconic franchise, finally have a chance to get one with Williams. And that's what makes him unique.
"It's good that this quarterback is different, because what's never different is the result every single time you play the Packers," Brandt said. "I'll tell you what's weird. You kno what's the weirdest thing about Caleb? That he's going to be a Bears quarterback who is actually good."
Caleb Williams has a bright future in the NFL
Brandt ended his spiel with a mic drop, talking about what he hopes Williams will do on draft night when he is selected with the top pick.
"He's going to be the number one pick and when the pride and joy of Illinois Chicago Bears call him to let him know on draft night, I hope he takes that call on his pink phone," Brandt said.
Thoughts on Caleb Williams… pic.twitter.com/mOXFN5qek1
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) March 28, 2024
The rest of the "Good Morning Football" crew also spoke in support of Williams, including three-time Super Bowl winning cornerback Devin McCourty.
McCourty was in the league as recently as 2022, and he told a story about hearing his teammates in the locker room talking about getting their nails done. He said that Williams' behavior is therefore already seen in the league.
"This isn't anything new," McCourty said. "Whatever people think in college — 'Caleb Williams is doing this, there's no way he could do an NFL' — It's already being done."
He said that the most important thing when Williams enters the NFL is going to be whether his game as a quarterback translates.
"Guys in the locker room want to see, when he first gets there, we'll see him throw the ball. I want to see what it's like when he gets into a huddle and it gets everybody's attention," McCourty said. "That's what will be important: Who he is as a person every single day in a locker room and how he throws a football. No one else will care what colors and nails are what color his phone case is."
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