Chicago Bears Draft Caleb Williams With No. 1 Pick in Historic NFL Draft

Caleb Williams swiftly walked on the stage, looked out and screamed “Woooo! Yeah!” Long-suffering Bears fans felt his joy. Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.

The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit has arrived. Round 1 is most anticipated with the most action beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick and are set to select QB Caleb Williams from USC. Williams is the overwhelming favorite (-50000) to go No. 1 overall, according to odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades. “My goal is to get into as far as February as I can,” Williams said, referring to playing in a Super Bowl for a team that hasn’t hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in nearly 40 years. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner kicked off an historic NFL draft Thursday night that had a record-setting start, setting a record with five quarterbacks in the top 10 and tying a record for the most in the first round.

Nearly the entire first half of the draft was offensive players. A defensive player wasn’t selected until UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu went at No 15 to Indianapolis. That’s the latest a first defensive player has ever gone. The Bears opened with the easy choice, taking Williams at No 1 after deciding weeks ago to bank on the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC.

“Care, love, and support and want to win,” Williams said about what he’s bringing to Chicago. The Washington Commanders followed up by taking 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU and the New England Patriots took North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No 3, making it the fourth draft with quarterbacks going with the first three picks. At No 8, the Atlanta Falcons made a surprising move despite signing Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in free agency. The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot and took JJ McCarthy, who led Michigan to a national championship, to make it five quarterbacks in the top 10 for the first time.

The Denver Broncos chose Oregon’s Bo Nix with the 12th pick, tying the 1983 draft with six quarterbacks in the first round. Three of those became Hall of Famers – John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly. The Arizona Cardinals snapped the early QB trend, choosing Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr with the fourth pick. The Los Angeles Chargers opened the Jim Harbaugh era by taking Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt instead of giving Justin Herbert a No 1 wide receiver to replace Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

The New York Giants then snatched up LSU receiver Malik Nabers at No 6. The Tennessee Titans took Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham with the seventh pick, and the Bears selected Washington wideout Rome Odunze at No 9. The New York Jets, who dropped to No 11, chose offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, giving Aaron Rodgers more protection. The Las Vegas Raiders got Georgia tight end Brock Bowers at No 13. The New Orleans Saints took Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga with the 14th pick before the Colts grabbed Latu. Previously, the latest a first defensive player was selected was No 8. The Seattle Seahawks took Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy next, and the Vikings made another trade to move up and take Alabama edge Dallas Turner at No 17.

The Cincinnati Bengals chose Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims, and the Los Angeles Rams got Florida State edge Jared Verse at No 19, the team’s first selection in the first round since taking Jared Goff at No 1 in 2016. Wearing a navy suit with silver accents and flashing a big smile, Williams gave Roger Goodell a bear hug, careful not to squeeze too hard because the NFL commissioner had back surgery three weeks ago.