USC quarterback Caleb Williams was the first player selected in Thursday’s NFL draft, chosen by the Chicago Bears.
Williams screamed in joy twice as he walked to the stage at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, where the draft is being held, then embraced NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed him a Bears jersey with the No. 1, symbolic of being a first-round choice.
“It took a lot of sacrifice, love, care for … the game of football, my teammates, my coaches and my family,” Williams told ESPN’s Molly McGrath when asked what it took for him to become the No. 1 choice.
Williams told McGrath his first goals with the Bears will be to “learn all my teammates names, their families, learn the playbook and get ready to go win games.”
He completed 599 of 888 passes for 8,170 yards and 72 touchdowns in his 26 games with the Trojans after beginning his college career at Oklahoma, then joining coach Lincoln Riley in the move to USC.
Williams set school records for total offense (4,919 yards), most touchdowns scored rushing and passing (52), passing completions (333), passes attempted (500), most passing yards gained (4,537), most touchdown passes thrown (42), most rushing and passing plays (613), lowest rate of interceptions (1%, 5 in 500 attempts) and highest passing efficiency rating (168.5) during his Heisman Trophy-winning 2022 season.
Williams is the sixth Trojan to be the No. 1 overall selection, breaking the record it had shared with Georgia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.