“I’m just one of them. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m the same person every day. And what they saw at that dinner is the person I’ll be five years from now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now.”

More than anything, Williams expressed a combination of fulfillment and eagerness for what this week represents. He was 10 years old when he began dreaming about becoming the No. 1 pick, a fantasy that’s about to become reality.

“This is surreal,” he said.

But Williams also described himself as “ready” for Thursday night because it will open the bridge for him to cross from being a college superstar and highly regarded NFL prospect to becoming a Chicago Bear, surrounded by teammates with a similar purpose as his.

“I’m really ready,” Williams said. “Because I want to get back to a football team. I haven’t been on a football team since Nov. 18 (his last game at USC). So that has probably been the toughest part for me. It’s something I really want to get back to. Get back in the locker room, be around the guys, be involved every single day and let it rip.”

The next step

Williams even answered a question about the other huge Bears storyline of the day: the team’s official proposal of a $4.6 billion project to build a new fixed-roof stadium on the Museum Campus downtown.

In an ideal world for the Bears, the grand opening of that venue would be in four years or so, at the height of Williams’ powers in Chicago and in the league.

“If that was the place, I would be excited,” Williams said. “But that wouldn’t be for a couple years obviously. It takes a while to build things like that.”

That last sentiment is as true for stadium building as it is for quarterback emergence. But at the very least, Williams has arrived at a point in his football journey where he always knew he would be. At the NFL draft, as the likely No. 1 pick.

“As a kid, I did dream of this,” he said. “I set my goals. I went after it. I got it. I’m here. I’m ready for the moment.”

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