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The worst kept secret in the NFL finally came to fruition Thursday as the Chicago Bears selected highly-touted USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
But the theme of the first round was the run on quarterbacks. An unprecedented six of the first 12 picks were quarterbacks, an NFL Draft record. The first 14 selections were offensive players, also a draft record, with no defensive players being taken until the Indianapolis Colts selected UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu at No. 15.
The Bears and their long-suffering fans hope Williams, the 22-year-old phenom, will finally bring them much-needed stability at the quarterback position, which has been in flux since the days of Jim McMahon in the 1980s.
To make way for Williams, Chicagotraded away quarterback Justin Fields last month to the Pittsburgh Steelers after the No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft failed to meet the lofty expectations that were set for him. The Bears immediately sought to give Williams a weapon, selecting Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick.
In honor of Detroit hosting the draft, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell trotted out rapper Eminem and Lions legend Barry Sanders to kick off the festivities. More than 275,000 people attended the draft Thursday, according to Goodell, a record for the event.
This year’s draft is one of the deepest in years at the quarterback, offensive tackle and wide receiver positions, in part due to the pandemic, which spurred many players to extend their college careers. Nine offensive linemen and seven wide receivers went off the board Thursday. In total, 23 offensive players and only nine defensive players were selected in the first round.
The top of the draft went chalk, with quarterbacks as the first three selections. LSU’s Jayden Daniels was taken No. 2 overall by the Washington Commanders, and the New England Patriotsselected North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No. 3 to replace former first round pick Mac Jones, who was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars last month.
The Arizona Cardinals selected the first receiver with Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. — son of his namesake, legendary Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr. — to pair with talented Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Following reports that the Los Angeles Chargers and new head coach Jim Harbaugh would perhaps trade down, the Bolts instead stood pat, taking Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt in an effort to improve an offensive line that has struggled to protect franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.
The first major surprise was provided by the Atlanta Falcons, who even though they had signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in the offseason, selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. Penix was not expected to go until late in the first round, due in part to injury concerns.
The Minnesota Vikings — Cousins’ former home — conducted the first trade of the night, swapping picks with the New York Jets to move up from 11 to 10 to select quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who led Michigan to a national title in January.
The surprises culminated with the Denver Broncos — who also in search for help at quarterback after cutting Russell Wilson — selected seasoned 24-year-old Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12. Nix started 61 games over his college career, according to CBS Colorado, more than any other NCAA quarterback ever.
Rounds two and three of the draft will be held Friday, and rounds four through seven on Saturday.
NFL Draft order and picks for the first round
No. 1: Chicago Bears — QB Caleb Williams, USC No. 2: Washington Commanders — QB Jayden Daniels, LSUNo. 3: New England Patriots — QB Drake Maye, North Carolina No. 4: Arizona Cardinals — WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio StateNo. 5: Los Angeles Chargers — OT Joe Alt, Notre DameNo. 6: New York Giants — WR Malik Nabers, LSUNo. 7: Tennessee Titans — OT JC Latham, AlabamaNo. 8: Atlanta Falcons — QB Michael Penix Jr., WashingtonNo. 9: Chicago Bears — WR Rome Odunze, WashingtonNo. 10: Minnesota Vikings — QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (via pick swap with the Jets)No. 11: New York Jets — OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn StateNo. 12: Denver Broncos — QB Bo Nix, OregonNo. 13: Las Vegas Raiders — TE Brock Bowers, GeorgiaNo. 14: New Orleans Saints — OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon StateNo. 15: Indianapolis Colts — DE Laiatu Latu, UCLANo. 16: Seattle Seahawks — DL Byron Murphy, TexasNo. 17: Minnesota Vikings — DE Dallas Turner, Alabama (via trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars)No. 18: Cincinnati Bengals — OT Amarius Mims, GeorgiaNo. 19: Los Angeles Rams — DE Jared Verse, Florida StateNo. 20: Pittsburgh Steelers — OL Troy Fautanu, WashingtonNo. 21: Miami Dolphins — DE Chop Robinson, Penn StateNo. 22: Philadelphia Eagles — CB Quinyon Mitchell, ToledoNo. 23: Jacksonville Jaguars — WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSUNo. 24: Detroit Lions — CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama (via trade with Cowboys)No. 25: Green Bay Packers — OT Jordan Morgan, ArizonaNo. 26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers — OL Graham Barton, DukeNo. 27: Arizona Cardinals — DL Darius Robinson, MissouriNo. 28: Kansas City Chiefs — WR Xavier Worthy, Texas (via trade with Bills)No. 29: Dallas Cowboys — OT Tyler Guyton, OklahomaNo. 30: Baltimore Ravens — CB Nate Wiggins, ClemsonNo. 31: San Francisco 49ers — WR Ricky Pearsall, FloridaNo. 32: Carolina Panthers — WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina (via trade with the Bills)
