Caleb Williams hopes Bears draft ex-teammate with No. 9 pick

It appears to only be a matter of time until Caleb Williams is officially a Bear. Chicago is widely expected to take the former USC quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Wednesday night. 

The Bears, though, will have to wait for an extended celebration as they're back on the clock at No. 9.

There are several different ways Chicago could go with its second top-10 selection, including trading down. But Williams hopes his presumed future franchise stands pat and delivers him immediate help in the trenches.

"I'd probably go Olu Fashanu because I know he'd put his life on the line for me, protecting me," Williams said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "Then I'd go one of the top three wide receivers."

It may be surprising to some that Fashanu, an ex-Penn State offensive tackle, is at the top of Williams' wish list over one of the draft class's top three wide receivers — Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU's Malik Nabers and Washington's Rome Odunze. 

However, Williams may be a little biased as he and Fashanu were teammates at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.

Fashanu is certainly deserving of being a first-round selection. The massive 6-foot-6, 319-pound offensive tackle has not allowed a sack in more than 680 pass-protection snaps over the past two seasons. The debate is whether he should be a top-10 pick.

The former Nittany Lion seems to have been falling down draft boards as of late, currently ranking as the fourth-best offensive tackle and No. 17 overall prospect on Pro Football Focus' big board.

If Williams believes Fashanu is worth the pick, however, Chicago may elect to listen, even if it means passing on Harrison Jr., Nabers or Odunze.

The Bears already bolstered their wide receiver room by trading for veteran Keenan Allen this offseason to pair with D.J. Moore. Adding Fashanu, however, would instantly upgrade Williams' blindside blocker.

Incumbent left tackle Braxton Jones, a fifth-round pick by Chicago in 2022, hasn't been bad by any means, allowing just two sacks last season. But Fashanu has much higher upside and a previous rapport with Williams.

The Bears have a big Thursday night ahead in Detroit where they could land a franchise quarterback as well as, potentially, an anchor for their offensive line.