NFL draft 2024 first round picks selected as Caleb Williams gets No. 1 spot: Highlights

The Chicago Bears chosen Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 choose within the NFL draft Thursday in Detroit. He was adopted by the Washington Commanders’ number of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and the New England Patriots’ selection of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. 

Six quarterbacks — Williams, Daniels, Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix — have been taken within the first 12 picks. In complete, 23 offensive gamers heard their names known as, essentially the most in NFL draft historical past. 

Williams, the consensus prime prospect, threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and 5 interceptions final season. He gained the Heisman Trophy as the perfect participant in faculty soccer the earlier season after he took the Trojans from a four-win group to an 11-win group. Williams threw for 4,075 yards, 37 touchdowns and solely 4 interceptions over 13 video games in 2022.

The Bears have been in a position to choose Williams because of a serious commerce forward of the 2023 draft. Chicago — which owned the No. 1 choose on the time — despatched it to the Carolina Panthers in return for receiver DJ Moore, 2023 first- and second-round picks, a 2024 first-round choose and a 2025 second-round choose. That 2024 first-round choose would later change into the No. 1 choose within the 2024 draft. 

Williams joins a retooled Chicago group that traded for six-time Professional Bowl receiver Keenan Allen and signed working again D’Andre Swift this offseason. The Bears even have rising stars in Moore and tight finish Cole Kmet.

The Commanders chosen LSU star Daniels at No. 2. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback gained the 2023 Heisman Trophy after some of the electrifying seasons in faculty soccer historical past. He threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and solely 4 interceptions whereas including 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the bottom. 

Maye was chosen No. 3 by the Patriots. At 6-foot-4 and 230 kilos, he boasts the prototypical measurement for the place and has drawn comparisons to Los Angeles Chargers signal-caller Justin Herbert. Maye — the 2022 ACC Rookie of the 12 months and ACC Participant of the 12 months as a sophomore — threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions final season in his junior yr. 

The largest shock got here at No. 8, when Michael Penix Jr. was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons. Not solely was that increased than most had anticipated the Washington quarterback to be taken, it additionally got here from a group that signed veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million assured this offseason. 

“It was a giant shock. We had no thought this was coming,” Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, mentioned in a textual content to the NFL Community. “The reality is the entire league had no thought this was coming. We received no heads up. Kirk received a name from the Falcons once they have been on the clock. That was the primary we heard. It by no means got here up in any dialog.”