Without doubt, the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams is one of the NFL’s brightest young quarterbacks in the league. Now, he has just been compared to Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

ESPN surveyed over 70 league executives, coaches, and scouts from the league and released the results for who they voted as the top 10 quarterbacks in the league. Williams edged out many accomplished quarterbacks and was ranked 10th in the rankings. During the survey, one veteran NFL defensive coach compared his playmaking to Mahomes.

“Doesn’t always take the layups and still needs to mature into the position,” said an NFL coach per ESPN. “[He] has some of those ‘what is he doing?’ plays. But he also makes plays only he and Mahomes can make. [He] can throw from any angle, deceptively fast when forced to scramble, and he’s got the ‘it’ factor in crunch time.”

Meanwhile, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler also revealed that one GM considered Williams to be one of the best talents.

“He’s the most dynamic of the group,” said the GM. “He’s got the arm talent and overall athleticism suited for today’s game.”

However, Williams wasn’t voted outright as the 10th-best quarterback. He faced stiff competition from Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold, Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love, and Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels. Executives ultimately voted Williams ahead of them.

A major reason for voters' hesitation to vote for Williams was his inconsistent play. He ranked 37th out of 38 quarterbacks in 2025 for off-target rate with 20.2%. However, his six fourth-quarter comebacks in 2025, which led the league, were a major contributor to him being voted ahead of the others.

Meanwhile, one of Williams’ teammates was also ranked in the top 10 for his position.

Caleb Williams' star TE teammate makes the list for the top 10 at his position

On July 10, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler released the results of the same survey but for the tight end position. While the Las Vegas Raiders’ Brock Bowers was ranked as the best tight end in the league, the Bears’ 2025 first-round pick, Colston Loveland, was ranked as the seventh-best in the league, ahead of Kyle Pitts Sr. of the Atlanta Falcons, Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens, and Travis Kelce of the Chiefs.

A main reason for Loveland being ranked so highly by league officials was his performance in the last four games of last season. He recorded 378 receiving yards on 28 receptions and scored two touchdowns. 

Meanwhile, throughout the season, while sharing time with veteran Cole Kmet, he recorded 713 total receiving yards on 58 receptions and scored seven touchdowns. During the span of four games, he also had a target share of 29%. What was even more impressive was that Williams’ passer rating was 121.6 while targeting Loveland.

This prompted one NFL personnel evaluator to make a prediction about Loveland’s impact next season.

“[Loveland] could be the Bears’ top receiver next year,” said the evaluator. “Expect to see more two or three-tight-end sets from Chicago this year.” 

Where would you rank Loveland after last season, and what are your expectations for him next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! 

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi