The 1st round of the NFL draft with the Chicago Bears ranked first

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Football fans have been waiting for this moment for a long time and Chicago Bears fans even more eagerly.

It was the big night of the NFL draft in Detroit and this year, the Bears held on to the first round to select quarterback Caleb Williams.

In 2023, Chicago found itself with the first selection, but they instead opted for a transaction with the Carolina Panthers which allowed the latter to get their hands on quarterback Bryce Young.

In return, the Bears notably received the Panthers’ first-round pick this season and when the latter concluded the campaign in last place, they offered the possibility to general manager Ryan Poles to select the star quarterback of the University of Southern California.

Rumors have long swirled about whether the Bears were going to take the quarterback in the draft, but with Justin Fields leaving for Pittsburgh, Williams will have the mandate to bring the franchise back on the right path in the coming years.

With the USC Trojans last season, Williams recorded 3,633 yards with 30 touchdowns against five interceptions. He was even more impressive in his second season in the NCAA. In 2022, he had collected 4,537 yards and had thrown 42 passes for majors.

Six-foot-one and 214 pounds, Williams finished his NCAA career with 93 touchdown passes, compared to 14 interceptions, and had 9,782 air yards. He also had 27 rushing touchdowns, with gains of 966 yards.

Williams won the Heisman Trophy and college player of the year in 2022 after the Trojans went 11-3. However, they lost 46-45 to the Tulane University Green Wave at the Cotton Bowl. In Chicago, the quarterback will be able to count on receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, the latter having been acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers.

Quarterbacks were in the spotlight early in the draft. Jayden Daniels (LSU) heard his name at second to join the Washington Commanders. The recipient of the last Heisman Trophy earned this honor thanks to his 40 touchdown passes and 3,812 yards to his record for the LSU Tigers.

Drake Maye (North Carolina) completed the top 3 of this first round among quarterbacks when the New England Patriots opted for his services in order to revive the organization which has struggled in this position since the departure of Tom Brady . He was the victim of nine interceptions during his last campaign with the Tar Heels against 24 touchdown passes.

The Arizona Cardinals ended their quarterback streak by turning to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as a new target for Kyler Murray. His selection was highly anticipated, but not only because his father, Marvin Harrison, is a member of the Football Hall of Fame. The one who wore the colors of the Ohio State Buckeyes did not take part in the traditional evaluation camp after a year with 14 touchdowns and 1,211 yards. He did it all with 67 catches.

It’s a new era in Los Angeles with the arrival of Jim Harbaugh as head coach. For the first selection, the California troop offered protection to quarterback Justin Herbert by turning to Notre Dame’s giant six-foot-9 blocker, Joe Alt.

Some could see a quarterback selection for the Giants with the lack of confidence in Daniel Jones, who has been bothered by injuries since the start of his career. Finally, the New York team offered him receiver Malik Nabers from LSU.

A surprise and the Vikings wanted McCarthy

The first real surprise of the draft came at the eighth level when the Atlanta Falcons added quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to their ranks. The organization could count on the arrival for next season of veteran Kirk Cousins ​​behind center.

Penix fils should therefore learn from Cousins. Playing with the Washington Huskies, he amassed 4,903 yards last season. However, he has been bothered by injuries until now.

With their second pick in this initial round, the Bears added another talented receiver to their offense. Williams will therefore be able to throw the ball towards Rome Odunze, teammate of Penix fils in Washington. He scored 13 touchdowns and rushed for 1,640 yards last year.

It was known on the Minnesota Vikings side that they wanted to get their hands on a quarterback. They even traded with the New York Jets in order to move up a rank to select JJ McCarthy at the 10th level.

The Vikings also gave up a 4th round pick and a 5th round pick to the New York team, which hands over selection No. 203 in the draft.

McCarthy led the Michigan Wolverines to the National Championship last season. He threw 22 touchdown passes against just four interceptions.