DETROIT –
Caleb Williams is headed to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
The Bears selected Williams with the first overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night after deciding weeks ago to take a gamble on the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC.
The Washington Commanders followed up with 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU and the New England Patriots selected North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No. 3, making it the fourth draft with quarterbacks with the first three selections.
It coincided with 2021 (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance), 1971 (Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning, Dan Pastorini) and 1999 (Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith).
At No. 8, the Atlanta Falcons made a surprising decision by drafting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. despite signing Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in free agency. Penix ranked among four quarterbacks in the top 10 for the second time since 1949. It also happened in 2018 (Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen).
The Arizona Cardinals bucked the early QB trend, selecting 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 acquired 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 receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9.
This will be the last time a first defensive player is selected since 1967.
Wearing a navy blue suit with silver accents, Williams rushed onto the stage and shouted “Woooo! Yes!” before giving Roger Goodell a bear hug, careful not to squeeze too much because the NFL commissioner had back surgery three weeks ago.
Rap icon Eminem took the stage in a Lions sweatshirt and cap shortly after Goodell to start the night. The Motor City native riled fans before handing it off to Lions stars Jared Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson.
St. Brown led them in singing “Jar-ed Goff!” and Johnson was brief: “What’s wrong?”
An estimated crowd of 150,000, many wearing their blue Honolulu Lions jerseys, filled the streets surrounding the draft theater and turned the NFL’s biggest offseason event into a giant party.
Williams is the third quarterback Chicago has selected in the first round in the last eight years. Mitch Trubisky, the second overall pick in 2017, lasted four seasons. Justin Fields, the 11th pick in 2021, was traded for a conditional sixth-round pick after three seasons.
Williams, 22, is tasked with turning the Bears into winners after years of futility. Chicago has had just two winning seasons since its most recent playoff victory in the 2010 season.
Williams was the clear favorite in a quarterback-rich draft that includes Daniels, Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy. The Bears did not meet with any other QBs and Williams did not visit any other teams.
He impressed his future team during a dinner with several Bears players last month, showing them that he has more substance than Hollywood flair.
“It was good for them to be able to come back to the front office and talk about how I am instead of all the things that everyone sees about me every day,” Williams said Wednesday.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles was convinced Williams was the right choice after receiving positive feedback from veterans.
“He seemed to be a very good teammate, easy to talk to and down to earth,” Poles said this week. “We’ve talked during this process about the whole Hollywood thing. He’s very active, he wants to work, he wants to get better, he wants to win as a team. That’s the most important thing for him, besides being successful. So “I think the most important thing is: Does it fit with our culture and what we’re trying to do? And all signs indicate that it is, so that’s positive.”
Williams has lofty goals. He has talked about playing 20 years for one team and chasing Tom Brady’s record seven Super Bowl titles. The Bears only won it once after the 1985 season.
Williams, a dual-threat player with a strong arm and the ability to improvise, threw 93 touchdown passes and rushed for 27 scores in three seasons at Oklahoma and USC.
The Bears are the only NFL franchise that has not had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a season. They passed on Bryce Young and CJ Stroud last year and traded the No. 1 pick to Carolina in a blockbuster deal only to get the No. 1 pick this year after the Panthers went 2-15.
Daniels, 23, who played three seasons at Arizona State and two at LSU, gives the Commanders a potential franchise QB after leading the nation in total offense last season with 4,946 yards. A do-it-all player, Daniels ranked fifth with 3,812 passing yards and 40 touchdowns.
Maye is the second QB the Patriots selected in the first round since Tom Brady left the team after the 2019 season. Mac Jones didn’t work out and now it’s Maye’s turn to be the man of a new era that begins without the coach Bill Belichick.
Harrison, the son of Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final season with the Buckeyes.