Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams patiently waited Wednesday afternoon as he stood behind a lectern inside the PNC Center at Halas Hall. Williams fidgeted with the microphones in front of him and started to open his mouth as he waited for the end of a short opening question.

It was a simple question: What did Williams think his quarterback draft class would be known for?

As soon as the reporter ended the question, Williams instantly jumped right in, clearly having given it thought beforehand.

“It’s a pretty badass class, right?” Williams asked. “Six [quarterbacks] going within the first round, within the first 12. So yeah, it’s a pretty good draft class. Obviously guys are playing well. Just about all the guys. I think it’s going to turn out like a good class. Obviously be competing against these guys for a long time and (I’m) excited about it.”

It’s been a productive class a little over a season into their respective careers. Williams, the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye, the Atlanta Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr., the Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy and the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix were all selected in the first 12 picks last year. Each quarterback started this season as their respective team’s starter.

But Williams and Daniels were at the top of the class. The Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick while the Commanders took Daniels at No. 2, linking the two to each other since that moment.

There’s been debate amongst fans about who should’ve been the No. 1 pick a year later. Daniels won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and helped his team reach the NFC Championship game. Williams had a historic year with the Bears, but the team went 5-12 and fired its head coach.

The results have led some to wonder whether Daniels should’ve been the No. 1 overall pick. But a look at the numbers suggests that the two aren’t that far apart from each other.

“I think there are probably a lot of similarities,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said this week. “I think these are two ascending quarterbacks in this league, and I think we’re going to be talking about them for a long time in the future.”

Johnson thought highly of both Williams and Daniels during the draft process back when he evaluated them as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. He called their quarterback class one of the strongest in recent history.

Although some might view Williams and Daniels as different quarterbacks, Johnson believes they share plenty of common traits. They both have strong arms and are accurate passers. Williams has thrown for 4,468 yards, 28 touchdowns and completed 62.4% of his passes in 21 career games while Daniels threw for 4,232 yards, 29 touchdowns and completed 67.3% of his passes in 20 career games.

They each have the clutch gene too.

According to Pro Football Reference, Williams has led three fourth-quarter comebacks during his career that’s led to wins. That number likely should be higher after some comebacks last year fell short, including the Hail Mary loss to the Commanders. Daniels has led four fourth-quarter that led to wins, all in his rookie season.

“Caleb, obviously, felt highly about him, part of the reason why I wanted to come here, and I haven’t been disappointed with him whatsoever,” Johnson said. “He continues to get better, elite arm strength, the ability to extend plays. I don’t think a whole lot differently for Jayden. Jayden is an extremely accurate throw over the football, something that I think gets overlooked when you look at him because he is so dynamic with his legs, and he hurts teams so much on the ground as well.”

Daniels’ run game might be what has put him over the top for many during his rookie season. Williams hasn’t run the ball poorly when he’s been forced to scramble. He’s run for 599 yards, one touchdown and an average of 5.7 yards per carry, keeping plays alive with his feet when it would’ve ended with other quarterbacks.

But Daniels’ elusiveness is what makes him such a threat.

According to Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, teams can’t focus in on the running back because of what Daniels can do with the ball on the ground. He’s rushed for 1,015 yards, six touchdowns and an average of 6 yards per carry in his career.

“Dangerous,” Johnson said. “Daniels a big reason why their running game is what it is. He strikes a lot of fear into opposing coaches, because you look at him and you know you got to account for him, not just as an accurate passer, not just as a scrambler, but the quarterback-driven run game that they do a lot of. And so fast, slippery. It’s going to take all 11 guys playing disciplined football to make sure we contain their attack.”

The comparisons between the two likely won’t stop after Monday night. If anything, it could increase depending on how the two do.

“It’s a pretty badass class, right? Six [quarterbacks] going within the first round, within the first 12. So yeah, it’s a pretty good draft class. Obviously guys are playing well. Just about all the guys. I think it’s going to turn out like a good class. Obviously be competing against these guys for a long time and (I’m) excited about it.”

—  Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears quarterback

Despite that, Williams was proud to be part of a talented quarterback class that includes Daniels. Sure, they each play the game differently. But Williams believes that each quarterback has a dedicated mentality to work hard that will help them all succeed in the NFL.

“It’s pretty unique to get, one, six different quarterbacks in one draft class that early, then obviously to have guys that are so different but also very similar in a lot of ways,” Williams said. “I think it’s awesome for those guys to be able to go out there and compete the way that they’ve been competing from last year to this year and excited to see where they go next.”