Caleb Williams picked first overall by Chicago Bears; Sixth USC Trojan taken No. 1 in NFL Draft
DETROIT (KTTV) - The wait is over.
Former USC quarterback Caleb Williams was taken first overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft.
But was any of this really a surprise? In 2022, Williams won the Heisman – the eighth Trojan to win the trophy – was named Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Maxwell Award, which goes to the best player in college football. In the following year, Williams threw for more than 3,600 yards and scored 30 touchdowns through the air and punched in 11 rushing touchdowns in just 12 games.
Months leading up to the 2024 draft, many had considered Williams the best option at quarterback. The 22-year-old was mocked by every major network as the expected No. 1 pick.
Williams became the sixth Trojan to be taken in the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. He joins Ron Yary (1968), OJ Simpson (1969), Ricky Bell (1977), Keyshawn Johnson (1996) and Carson Palmer (2003) as former USC stars to get picked first in the pros.
Before transferring to USC in 2022, Williams played for Oklahoma in 2021. In his one season with the Sooners, Williams started 7 of the 11 games he played in and threw 1,912 yards and scored 21 touchdowns through the air with four interceptions. He also punched in six rushing touchdowns and ran for 442 yards in his 2021 season with Oklahoma.
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