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The Chicago Bears selected former Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, Thursday (April 25) night.
"He’s an outstanding young man, and everything looks great in terms of his personality, his character, his football knowledge and we've got a lot of information there from that visit," said Bears head coach Matt Eberflus when asked about recently spending time with Williams at USC's Pro Day last month via NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell, Walter Camp and AP College Football Player of the Year awards, while also being selected as a unanimous All-American, during his first season with the Trojans -- having transferred from Oklahoma following head coach Lincoln Riley's hiring in late 2021 -- throwing for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions on 333 of 500 passing, while also recording 382 yards and 10 touchdowns on 113 rushing attempts. The 22-year-old threw for 3,333 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions on 266 of 388 passing, while also recording 142 yards and 11 touchdowns on 97 rushing attempts in 2023.
The pick was long suspected with the Bears having secured the eventual No. 1 pick in a trade made with the Carolina Panthers last offseason. Chicago traded former No. 11 overall pick Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March to clear the way for Williams to take over as the team's franchise quarterback.
General manager Ryan Poles had previously stated he intended "to do right by Justin" if the Bears went "down that road" of selecting a quarterback with the top pick in February, weeks ahead of the eventual trade.