DETROIT — Caleb Williams confidently walked onto the stage, glanced out, and shouted "Woooo! Yeah!"
Long-suffering Bears fans shared in his happiness.
Williams is going to the Windy City, hoping to become the main quarterback Chicago has been looking for for many years.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner kicked off a historic NFL draft on Thursday night with five other teams selecting quarterbacks in the top 12 picks, breaking a record with five in the top 10 and tying a record for the most in the first round.
Almost all of the first half of the draft consisted of offensive players.
A defensive player was not chosen until UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu was picked at No. 15 by Indianapolis. This is the latest a first defensive player has ever been picked.
The Bears started with the obvious choice, taking Williams at No. 1 after deciding weeks ago to bank on the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC.
"I bring care, love, support, and a desire to win," Williams said about what he's bringing to Chicago.
The Washington Commanders followed by selecting 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU and the New England Patriots chose North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No. 3, making it the fourth draft with quarterbacks in the first three picks.
It matched 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 to pick Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. despite signing Kirk Cousins to a huge contract in free agency. The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot and selected J.J. McCarthy, who led Michigan to a national championship, making it five QBs 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 QBs in the first round. Three of those became Hall of Famers — John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly. Todd Blackledge, Tony Eason, and Ken O’Brien also were picked in the first round in 1983.
The Arizona Cardinals broke the early QB trend, selecting Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth pick. The Los Angeles Chargers started the Jim Harbaugh era by choosing 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 grabbed LSU receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6. The Tennessee Titans chose Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham with the seventh pick, and the Bears chose Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9.
The New York Jets, who dropped to No. 11, chose offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, providing Aaron Rodgers with more protection. The Las Vegas Raiders selected 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 took Latu.
Previously, the latest a first defensive player was selected was No. 8. Latu started a brief trend. The Seattle Seahawks selected Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy next, and the Vikings made another trade to move up and select Alabama edge Dallas Turner at No. 17.
The Cincinnati Bengals picked Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims and the Los Angeles Rams drafted Florida State edge Jared Verse at No. 19, which was the team’s first selection in the first round since they chose Jared Goff at No. 1 in 2016.
Wearing a dark blue suit with silver accents and showing a big smile, Williams hugged Roger Goodell in a friendly manner, being careful not to squeeze too hard because the NFL commissioner had back surgery three weeks ago.
Rap legend Eminem appeared on stage in a Lions sweatshirt and cap shortly after Goodell to begin the celebrations. The Detroit native excited the fans before passing it over to Lions stars Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson.
St. Brown led them in chanting “Jar-ed Goff!” and Johnson kept it short: “Whaddup doe?”
An estimated crowd of 150,000, with many wearing their Honolulu blue Lions jerseys, filled the streets around the draft theater and transformed the NFL’s biggest offseason event into a massive party.
Williams is the third quarterback Chicago has chosen in the first round in the past eight years. Mitch Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, lasted four seasons. Justin Fields, the 11th pick in 2021, was traded away for a conditional sixth-round pick after three seasons.
The 22-year-old Williams is responsible for turning the Bears into a winning team after years of struggle. Chicago has had only two winning seasons since its most recent playoff victory in the 2010 season.
Williams was the clear front-runner in a quarterback-rich draft. The Bears didn’t meet with any other QBs and Williams didn’t visit any other teams. He impressed his future team over dinner with several Bears players last month, showing them he’s more substance than Hollywood style.
Williams has ambitious goals. He has spoken about playing 20 years for one team and chasing Tom Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl titles. The Bears have only won it once following the 1985 season.
A dual-threat player with a strong arm and the ability to improvise, Williams threw 93 touchdown passes and ran for 27 scores in three seasons at Oklahoma and USC.
The Bears are the only NFL team that has not had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a season. They passed up on Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud last year and traded the No. 1 pick to Carolina in a major deal only to get the top choice this year after the Panthers went 2-15.
The 23-year-old Daniels, 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 versatile player, Daniels ranked fifth with 3,812 yards passing and with 40 touchdowns.
“I’m Jayden Daniels the person, and then football is just what I do,” Daniels said. “So I don’t let football define me, who I am as a human being. This is something I do and I’m passionate about it.”
Maye is the second QB the Patriots have chosen 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 in a new era that starts without longtime coach Bill Belichick.
