WATCH: Nick Saban tells Bears coach Matt Eberflus his theory on why NFL quarterbacks fail at 'dramatic rate'

There are few football coaches more experienced or more respected than former Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Before retiring earlier this year, Saban had been coaching in some capacity at either the college or pro level since 1973. And over the last several years, Saban's Crimson Tide teams sent several quarterbacks to the NFL , with a number of them -- Tua Tagovailoa , Mac Jones , Bryce Young -- being selected in the first round.

So when Saban gives Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus his thoughts on why young quarterbacks do or don't succeed in the NFL, it's probably a good idea for Eberflus to listen, given that his team just selected USC's Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft . And on this week's episode of "Hard Knocks," Eberflus appears to do exactly that.

"Here's my theory on why NFL quarterbacks fail at such a dramatic rate: To me, expectations are a killer," Saban tells Eberflus. "This kid you got, this kid's got so much media, so much hype, so much expectation on doing well. And he has to develop so quickly to meet the expectations that everybody has for him. It's almost impossible.

"The expectations are a killer, but yet, to use your word, development is the key for him. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions when he was a rookie. It's the most in the history of football. But it didn't affect him. It's like the scoreboard. The scoreboard doesn't mean anything until the game is over."

Manning is the most famous example of a No. 1 pick quarterback struggling as a rookie before turning things around, but players such as Troy Aikman and Jared Goff did the same.

Luckily for Williams, he is being dropped into a considerably better situation with Chicago than any of those previous top draft picks were. He has a skill-position group that includes wide receivers D.J. Moore , Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze , as well as tight end Cole Kmet and running backs D'Andre Swift , Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson . The offensive line in front of him is pretty good as well, and that should help him avoid a disastrous rookie season, and hopefully start him on his way to meeting those lofty expectations.