Bears, Giants, Vikings, Among Teams with GMs Scouting Caleb Williams, USC vs. ND

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If you’re an NFL team with a bad record that could potentially be in position to select a quarterback near the top of the 2024 draft, odds are good you have scouts in South Bend for the USC-Notre Dame game on Saturday night.

Per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, general managers for the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants are among those with press-box seats at Notre Dame Stadium to watch Caleb Williams and the Trojans take on the Fighting Irish.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane obviously doesn’t need a quarterback, but it’s not like Williams is the only player in this game who is going to get drafted in April.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has eight combined USC and Notre Dame players in the top 10 of their respective positions on his most recent big board update.

Williams is the highlight player from that group as the No. 1 overall prospect. Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt checks in at No. 9 overall. Notre Dame’s Audric Estime is Kiper’s top running back.

The Bears, Vikings and Giants are all in play for the top pick at this point in the NFL season. All three teams enter Week 6 with identical 1-4 records.

Chicago would own the No. 1 selection if the season ended today because it would get the Carolina Panthers’ first-rounder stemming from the deal made in March that allowed the Panthers to move up and select Bryce Young first overall this year.

In addition to the Panthers’ pick, the Bears’ own selection is currently at No. 3 overall. Justin Fields has played well in the past two weeks with 617 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.

There’s still been more bad than good from Fields this season, but he could at least give the Bears something to think about by the time the draft rolls around if he continues to ascend.

The Vikings would pick fourth, followed by the Giants at sixth if the season ended today. The Denver Broncos (No. 2), New England Patriots (No. 6) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 7) are the other one-win teams going into Week 6.

Minnesota won’t have Justin Jefferson for at least the next four games due to a hamstring injury. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also speculated the superstar wide receiver may not rush back because he’s still seeking a long-term contract extension, and may not have an incentive to get on the field if the team is out of playoff contention.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters this week the Vikings expect Jefferson to return at some point. There’s also the issue of Kirk Cousins being in the final season of his contract and what the team plans to do at quarterback in the future.

The Giants need help at virtually every position right now. The offense and defense rank in the bottom four in the league in points per game. Left tackle Andrew Thomas, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence are possibly the only long-term foundation pieces currently on the roster.

Daniel Jones’ contract does make it difficult to move on if the Giants want to bring in a new quarterback after this season. The team would have a $47.1 million dead-cap hit if he’s released as a post-June 1 cut in the offseason.

It’s not an ideal use of resources, but it end up being the best of many bad options if Jones isn’t able to turn things around this season.

If Williams ends up being as good in the NFL as seemingly every analyst expects him to be, taking on a big one-year cap hit by releasing a quarterback who wasn’t working out won’t be an issue at all.