The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Williams goes to Bears with No. 1 pick in draft
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
The Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft on April 25 after deciding weeks ago to bank on the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC.
The Washington Commanders followed up by taking 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU. With the third pick, the Patriots selected Drake Maye from North Carolina. Next up was Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State going to Arizona.
Wearing a navy suit with silver accents, Williams swiftly walked on stage and screamed “Woooo! Yeah!” before giving Roger Goodell
a bear hug, careful not to squeeze too hard because the NFL commissioner had back surgery three weeks ago.
Rap icon Eminem walked on stage in a Lions sweatshirt and cap shortly after Goodell to kick off the night. The Motor City native riled up the fans before turning it over 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 chanting “Jar-ed Goff!” and Johnson kept it short: “Whaddup doe?”
An estimated crowd of 150,000, many wearing their Honolulu blue 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 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 tasked with turning the Bears into a winner after years of futility. Chicago has had just two winning seasons since its most recent playoff victory in the 2010 season.