Per an NFP piece written by his former agent, Ricky Williams came very close to declaring for the draft after his junior year. The Bears reportedly preferred Williams to Curtis Enis, and this agent thinks they would have drafted Ricky had he declared in 1998.

 

I remember when Ricky and his family decided that he would enter the draft after his junior year at Texas. In December 1997 we filled out the proper paperwork and had it notarized at a Disney hotel in Orlando while attending the ESPN College Football Awards.

 

Had I sent in that paperwork right away (we were informed we could not pull it back once submitted), a small part of the NFL landscape would have played out differently. Ricky would have been drafted in 1998, most likely by the Chicago Bears, who preferred Ricky to the running back they selected (Curtis Enis), and the New Orleans Saints would have never mortgaged their future and sold their 1999 draft for Ricky. Ah, what might have been.

 

I knew Ricky, though, and held the paperwork until the last minute. When he went home to San Diego for the holidays and hung out with some young NFL players at the time -- Bryant Westbrook, Darrell Russell and others – he decided that the life of an NFL player was less desirable than the life of a college kid at Texas.

 

I remember Ricky saying, "I know that next year I'll have to go where I get drafted, but why should I move to Chicago or St. Louis when I can stay another year here in Austin?" I advised him of the injury risks and the professional and financial reasons to do so, but he was convinced.

...so instead of going to Ditka in New Orleans, he could have easily been a Bear. What do you guys think?

Maybe Ditka offers us his entire draft for him, LOL ;-)

Great point Pixote.

maybe we could trade the rest of our picks for him? Not like we need anything else right

It would have been yet another busted first rounder for the Bears. He would have been in his hippy pot smoking phase, and then would have had to get cut/traded/etc. in order to open his eyes (ala Benson). Lucky for us.

I wouldnt trade for the ex junkie...