Patriots legend defends Caleb Williams amid trolling of painted nails

Former New England Patriots safety, three-time Super Bowl champion and current NFL analyst, Devin McCourty, saw plenty inside locker rooms during his career and also responded to any takes suggesting teammates may not view Williams as a leader due to his personality. 

"This isn't anything new," McCourty said during Thursday's edition of the NFL Network "Good Morning Football" program while recalling hearing about teammates talking about getting their nails done, as shared by Colin Salao of The Street and Ian Van Roy of Sportskeeda. 

As recently as during the NFL owners meetings this week, Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus made it known how Williams impressed them during offseason meetings and discussions. 

ESPN NFL analyst and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky has repeatedly ranked Jayden Daniels of the LSU Tigers ahead of Williams among quarterback prospects, but Orlovsky's assessments are related to things he's noticed while watching game film. 

Nevertheless, experts throughout the NFL community continue to expect that the Bears will make Williams the first pick of the upcoming draft on the night of April 25. McCourty noted that teammates ultimately will care little about Williams' fashion sense once he begins studying as a Chicago player and once he takes his first meaningful snap this coming September. 

"Guys in the locker room want to see, when he first gets there, we'll see him throw the ball," McCourty added. "I want to see what it's like when he gets into a huddle and it gets everybody's attention. That's what will be important: Who he is as a person every single day in a locker room and how he throws a football. No one else will care what colors his nails are, what color his phone case is."

Chicago fans once adored Dennis Rodman regardless of his outfit choices and will similarly embrace Williams if the USC product is as good as advertised and guides the Bears to a Super Bowl. 

If nothing else, the fact that NFL Network addressed this story may serve as yet another reminder that the actual draft can't get here soon enough.