The Chicago Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night in Detroit.
We can’t say that the suspense kept us on the edge of our seats. The team had their eyes on the University of Southern California alum for several weeks already.
Williams impressed his future bosses during a dinner with several Bears players last month. He showed that there was more to him than Hollywood style.
It was nice that they could come back to the office to talk about who I am rather than what people see 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 came across as a very good teammate, easy to talk to and humble, Poles said earlier this week. He is focused on football, he wants to work, improve and win. This is the priority for him in addition to being successful. We wondered if it would fit into our culture and adapt to what we were trying to accomplish. All signs point in this direction.
The Washington Commanders followed by selecting quarterback Jayden Daniels at the second level. The New England Patriots also selected a quarterback third overall, Drake Maye.
The Arizona Cardinals broke the trend by setting their sights on receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at fourth overall. The Los Angeles Chargers began the Jim Harbaugh era with left tackle Joe Alt to round out the top five.
Williams, 22, just completed his third season in the NCAA, and his second with the Trojans. He completed 266 of his 388 passes for 3,333 yards, with 30 touchdown passes. He was also the victim of five interceptions. He also scored 11 majors on the ground in 2023.
The 1.85 m, 98 kg (6 ft 1 in/214 lb) footballer concluded his college career with 93 touchdown passes, against 14 interceptions, and 9,782 air yards. He also had 27 rushing touchdowns, with gains of 966 yards.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy and college player of the year in 2022 after the Trojans went 11-3. However, they lost 46-45 to the Green Wave of Tulane University at the Cotton Bowl.
In 2023, the Trojans struggled a bit more and went 8-5. Williams was not on the field when his team beat the University of Louisville Cardinals in the Holiday Bowl.
Williams became the eighth quarterback to be selected first overall in the draft in the last 10 years. He succeeds Brice Young, the chosen one of the Carolina Panthers in 2023.
The Bears were in this position due to a major trade with the Panthers before the last draft. They had given up the first overall pick to the North Carolina team in exchange for receiver DJ Moore, a reversal of a first-round pick in 2023 and a first-round pick in 2024.
The Panthers finished last season with a 2-15 record, the worst in the NFL. This allowed the Bears to pick first overall for the team’s first time during the Super Bowl era.
The Chicago team needed a quarterback since it traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 16. Fields was the Bears’ first-round pick in 2021, the 11th overall, but he won just 10 of his 38 games with the team.
The Bears finished last season with a 7-10 record. They also selected receiver Rome Odunze ninth overall.
2024-04-26 00:32:30
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