NFL draft 2024: Bears tap Caleb Williams with No 1 pick as six QBs go in top 12

Caleb Williams hastened his steps to the stage, scanned the audience and yelled out with enthusiasm, " Woooohoo! Yes!"

Dedicated Bears enthusiasts experienced his happiness after waiting for a long time.

Williams is en route to Chicago with hopes of becoming their franchise quarterback, a position the city has been seeking for several decades.

Williams expressed his ambition of making it to February, with hopes of playing in a Super Bowl for a team that has not won the Lombardi Trophy in almost four decades.

The 2022 recipient of the Heisman Trophy commenced an exceptional NFL draft on Thursday evening, where five other teams picked quarterbacks within the first 12 selections. This established a new record for having five quarterbacks in the top 10 and equalled the most quarterbacks taken in the first round.

Almost all of the initial portion of the draft consisted of players focused on attacking.

Not until the 15th pick, Indianapolis chose their first defensive player, who happened to be UCLA's Laiatu Latu, who specializes in edge rush. This latest draft pick has now set a record for the lowest ranking of the first defensive player to ever be chosen.

The Bears made a clear decision at the start by picking Williams as their top choice. They had already determined beforehand to rely on the skills of the Heisman Trophy awardee from USC in 2022.

Williams expressed that he is bringing care, affection, encouragement and a desire to succeed to Chicago.

The Washington Commanders selected Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, while the New England Patriots chose Drake Maye from North Carolina as the third overall pick in the draft. This marks the fourth time in the draft's history that quarterbacks have been selected as the top three picks.

In an unexpected move, the Atlanta Falcons picked Washington QB Michael Penix Jr, despite already having signed Kirk Cousins through a lucrative free agency deal. As for the Minnesota Vikings, they traded up to select JJ McCarthy - who had led Michigan to a national championship - making it the first time in history that five quarterbacks were drafted in the top 10.

The Denver Broncos picked Bo Nix from Oregon as the 12th selection. In doing so, they matched the record set during the 1983 draft, which saw six quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Three of those quarterbacks, namely John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly, went on to become Hall of Famers.

The Arizona Cardinals went against the common trend of selecting quarterbacks right at the beginning and opted for Ohio State's wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., for the fourth pick. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Chargers went in a different direction by selecting Notre Dame's offensive tackle, Joe Alt, in the start of the Jim Harbaugh era instead of prioritizing a new number one receiver for Justin Herbert to take over for Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

At number six, the LSU receiver Malik Nabers was picked up by the New York Giants. For their seventh pick, the Tennessee Titans chose Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham. Washington wideout Rome Odunze was chosen by the Bears at number nine.

In the recent draft pick, the New York Jets decided to go for offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, who will be providing better protection for Aaron Rodgers. Among the other teams, the Las Vegas Raiders made a move to acquire tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia at the 13th spot. The New Orleans Saints chose Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga, another offensive tackle, for the 14th position, and later the Colts picked Latu for their team.

Beforehand, the earliest a defensive player was chosen was at No. 8. The Seattle Seahawks picked Byron Murphy, a defensive tackle from Texas, following that. The Vikings then decided to trade and ascend in the draft to choose Dallas Turner, an Alabama edge player, at No. 17.

Amarius Mims, an offensive tackle from Georgia, was the top pick for the Cincinnati Bengals while Jared Verse, a Florida State edge, was the chosen one for the Los Angeles Rams at number 19. This marks the Rams' first selection in the first round since they claimed Jared Goff as their number one pick back in 2016.

Williams embraced Roger Goodell with a warm hug while dressed up in a navy suit sprinkled with silver ornaments. He made sure to be gentle, given that the NFL commissioner recently underwent back surgery. Additionally, Williams sported a wide grin on his face.

Eminem, the legendary rapper, made his entrance onto the stage wearing a sweatshirt and cap featuring the Lions logo. He arrived right after Goodell to kick off the festivities. Being from the Motor City, he successfully pumped up the crowd before handing the stage over to the Lions' brightest stars, such as Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St Brown as well as Hall of Famers like Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson.

St Brown took charge of the chanting by leading everyone in a cheer for "Jar-ed Goff," while Johnson kept his greeting brief with a simple "Whaddup doe?"

Around 275,000 individuals, a sizable gathering of supporters clad in their Honolulu blue Lions jerseys, occupied the streets encompassing the draft theater, transforming the NFL's most immense offseason extravaganza into a massive celebration.

When the Lions traded with Dallas and selected Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold with the 24th pick, the crowd cheered loudly.

In recent years, the Chicago team has chosen three quarterbacks in the first round, including the 22-year-old Williams. Their previous picks include Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields. Last year, they chose not to go with Bryce Young and CJ Stroud and instead traded their No. 1 pick to Carolina in a highly publicized trade. However, luck was on their side this year as they were able to secure the top pick after the Panthers had a poor season with a record of 2-15.

Williams exclaimed "Da Bears!" to conclude his initial press conference as a professional.

Williams is a player who excels at both throwing and running, showcasing a powerful arm and the skill to adapt to different situations. Throughout a span of three seasons at Oklahoma and USC, he was able to throw the ball for 93 touchdowns and score an additional 27 times by running the ball.

Last season, Daniels, who is 23 years old and played college football at Arizona State and LSU, was the top performer in the country when it comes to total offense, completing a whopping 4,946 yards.

Daniels stated that he doesn't permit football to ascertain his identity as a person. He added that football is just a pastime that he enjoys and has a passion for, but it doesn't represent his entire being.

The Patriots have chosen Maye as their second quarterback in the first round after Tom Brady's departure. Mac Jones did not perform well, so now Maye is expected to be the leader in a new era, which begins without the long-standing coach Bill Belichick.

Troy Fautanu, an adaptable offensive lineman from Washington, was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 20th pick. The Miami Dolphins then selected the Penn State edge player Chop Robinson, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles who went for Toledo's cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.

The Jacksonville Jaguars picked Brian Thomas Jr, a wide receiver, for the 23rd spot on their team. In another draft pick, the Lions chose Arnold, while the Green Bay Packers decided to add Jordan Morgan, who is an offensive tackle from Arizona. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their draft choice by selecting Graham Barton, a lineman from Duke.

Darius Robinson, who plays for Missouri, transferred to Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs, who are the reigning Super Bowl champions for two years in a row, struck a deal with one of their AFC rivals, Buffalo, so they could select Xavier Worthy, a wide receiver from Texas, with the 28th pick.

The Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton was selected by the Cowboys, and the Clemson defensive back Nate Wiggins was picked by the Baltimore Ravens.

The San Francisco 49ers, who previously won the NFC championship title, welcomed a new talented member, Ricky Pearsall from Florida. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers executed a transaction to acquire the exceptional skills of Xavier Legette, a wide receiver from South Carolina, who was the 32nd pick in the first round.