Reaction rolls in as Caleb Williams goes No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft
USC quarterback Caleb Williams became the sixth Trojan selected as the overall No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. There was little doubt throughout the 2023 football season or the pre-draft process that Williams would be headed to the Chicago Bears as the top selection.
That gave everyone plenty of time to prepare, but the excitement upon making it official was still evident as reactions poured in across social media.
In case you missed it, here’s the video of the moment, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Williams as the No. 1 overall selection.
Williams was asked why he is the right player for the Bears right now.
“Because I care,” Williams said. “I care about the community. I care about the fans. I care about winning games. I care about my teammates and their families, the coaches, the custodians, all the people around the facility, just overall wholistic caring about the Chicago Bears.”
The Bears released video of the call between General Manager Ryan Poles and Williams.
His former USC teammates watched the draft from the team meeting room. Quarterback Miller Moss and wide receivers Zachariah Branch, Duce Robinson and Ja’Kobi Lane were sitting in the front row when the announcement was made.
A little later, they were able to offer a quick congratulations to Williams.
Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart shared his reaction to watching the pick live.
There was a touching moment as Williams was able to watch a prerecorded video from his mother and had an emotional reaction.
A couple of USC’s most recognizable basketball stars shared messages as well. DeMar DeRozan has spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Bulls and will now share the city with Williams.
And women’s basketball player Juju Watkins, who grabbed plenty of the spotlight during USC’s NCAA Tournament run to the Elite 8, shared thoughts as well.
Bears fans took note. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Williams broke the Fanatics draft-night record for merchandise sales by any pick in any sport. That record was just days old, set last week by WNBA first-overall selection Caitlin Clark.
And ESPN reporters shared their pros and cons of every first-round pick of the draft. Here’s what the network had to say about Williams going No. 1 to the Bears, from Courtney Cronin:
Why they picked him: The Bears have been preparing to draft Williams for months. A thorough vetting of the quarterback supported their belief the Heisman Trophy winner will be an upgrade at the position and the right fit for the team’s culture. General manager Ryan Poles was hired to break Chicago’s cycle of quarterback futility and believes the Bears have the pieces in place to develop a franchise QB. Nothing reflects that more than trading Justin Fields to Pittsburgh to clear the runway for Williams as he begins his NFL career.
Williams is the type of quarterback Poles has been searching for since being part of the Kansas City front office that drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017. He can make throws with surgical precision and freelance with a unique ability to escape pressure and keep plays alive. He threw 72 touchdowns to 10 interceptions over his last two seasons and had a career-best 68.6% completion percentage despite his passing yards taking a slight dip during his final college season. After 10 wins the past two seasons combined, Chicago is finally in position to move past the rebuild phase in contention.
Biggest question: What are realistic expectations for Williams’ rookie season? The Bears have never drafted a player with the No. 1 overall pick, let alone a quarterback who carries the weight of a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2010. Chicago’s main objective should be consistent quarterback play, the catalyst behind moving on from Fields, and relying on its QB to be the reason the team wins games. Williams will undoubtedly experience rookie growing pains, but the level of talent surrounding him means the Bears need to have more wins than losses and position themselves to become a playoff team in 2024.
