2024 NFL Draft live results and updates for Round 1 on Thursday

1. BEARS (from CAR) — Caleb Williams, QB, USC, 6-1, 214
2. Commanders — Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU, 6-3, 210
3. Patriots — Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina, 6-4, 223
4. Cardinals — Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State, 6-3, 209
5. Chargers — Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame, 6-8, 321
6. Giants — Malik Nabers, WR, LSU, 6-2, 199
7. Titans — J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama, 6-5, 342
8. Falcons — Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington, 6-2, 216
9. BEARS — Rome Odunze, WR, Washington, 6-2, 212

Full first-round picks here

Paul Beaty/For the Sun-Times

Angel Reese, a native of Randallstown, Maryland and the first-round pick of the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA Draft (7th overall), sent a shout out to the Bears’ top pick.

Williams, from Washington, D.C., which is only 50 miles from Reese’s hometown.

Paul Sancya/AP

It’s impossible for any general manager to get every move right. Misses are inevitable, but finding ways to fix them is what matters.

Wide receiver has been a problematic position for Ryan Poles and the Bears — until now. Poles drafted Washington star Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick Thursday, stacking his room with talent and giving incoming rookie quarterback Caleb Williams a potential long-term partner.

Odunze thought about that pairing throughout the pre-draft process. His visit to Halas Hall went “very well,” he recently worked out with Williams and Bears wide receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen and was on Williams’ flight Tuesday as they headed to Detroit for the draft.

Read more here.

Quarterback Caleb Williams approved of the Bears’ selection of Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick.

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Full name: Rome Odunze
Selection: Round 1, No. 9
College: Washington
Position: wide receiver
Ht/Wt: 6-3, 212
Age: 21

Background: Odunze, from Las Vegas, broke out at Washington as a junior and kept climbing. He has long been viewed as a top-10 pick, with some analysts ranking him ahead of LSU’s Malik Nabers, who went No. 6 to the Giants.

The stats: He followed his 75 catches for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022 with 92 for 1,640 and 13 last season as the Huskies made it to the National Championship Game.

The skinny: In the Bears’ rebuilt wide receiver room, Odunze could be anything. He could defer and learn behind DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, or he could overtake them and be the team’s No. 1 option this season. It depends on how good he is and how quickly he’s ready.

The Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, posted this welcome to the new Bears draftees.

Kyusung Gong/AP

J.J. McCarthy grew up in Bears country.

Now he’ll face them twice a year.

The Vikings traded up with the Jets to draft the Nazareth Academy alum with the 10th pick in Thursday night’s draft. McCarthy fills one of the most obvious needs in the NFL — the Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Falcons in free agency this offseason.

Read more here

Ryan Sun/AP

Amid unprecedented anticipation, the Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night — a watershed moment that heralded the dawn of a new era in Bears history.

Again.

Any Bears fan out of grade school can’t be blamed for tempering the excitement with at least a bit of skepticism. The Bears have been here before. Too many times, actually. The trade for Jay Cutler in 2009. Drafting Mitch Trubisky second overall in 2017. Drafting Justin Fields 11th overall in 2021.

And each new era ended in disappointment, with little to show for it — one playoff appearance in Cutler’s eight seasons; two playoff appearances in Trubisky’s four seasons, but one regrettable and the other forgettable

Read more here.

Jeff Roberson/AP

The Bears are giving rookie quarterback Caleb Williams as many options as possible down the field. They drafted Washington standout wide receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick Thursday, following their selection of Williams first overall.

Odunze led the NCAA with 1,640 yards receiving last season on 92 catches and scored 17 touchdowns. There was debate over whether he or LSU’s Malik Nabers was the second-best receiver in this class after Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.

It’s a huge pick for Bears general manager Ryan Poles at what has been a problematic position. He thought he had stacked his wide receiver room last year with DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, but Claypool was a disaster and Mooney struggled before leaving to the Falcons in free agency.

Read more

Michael Conroy/AP

Now that the No. 1 pick is settled. What will the Bears do with the No. 9 selection? The Sun-Times’ Bears experts pick whom they think the team will take.

• Mark Potash: Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze
• Patrick Finley: Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II
• Jason Lieser: Florida State defensive end Jared Verse

Click here to read about their reasoning.

Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP

Full name: Caleb Sequan Williams

Born: Nov. 18, 2001
College: USC
Position: quarterback
Ht/Wt: 6-1, 214 pounds
Age: 22

Background: The No. 2 ranked quarterback prospect coming out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., Williams committed to Oklahoma, earned the starting job midseason and was named a freshman All-American. He followed head coach Lincoln Riley to USC, where he played his final two seasons.

The stats: Williams threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2022 to earn the Heisman Trophy. His encore wasn’t as impressive by comparison, but it was still dominant — he threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. USC went 7-5 last year before Williams skipped the Holiday Bowl

The skinny: If Williams succeeds — the Bears’ quarterback history shows that’s no sure thing — then general manager Ryan Poles’ decision to trade the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers last year might become one of the NFL’s most lop-sided trades of all time.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

DETROIT — When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called Caleb Williams’ name Thursday night, he revealed the worst-kept secret in recent draft history and kickstarted what the Bears hope will be the dawn of a new day.

The Bears had been locked in on the USC quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick for weeks. He was the only passer invited to visit Halas Hall during the predraft process. Likewise, Williams didn’t visit any other team at their home facility.

Thursday night, the marriage was officially blessed.

Read more here.

Here’s a sampling of the draft-night fits: Another look at Caleb Williams in his navy, zip-up suit.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photos

Washington receiver Rome Odunze in black.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photos

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels in a light gray suit with white vest.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photos

LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers in a double-breasted, gray suit, black tie and large chain.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photos

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. wore black, but had the accessory of the night. A pendant that honored his father, Hall-of-Fame Colts receiver Marvin Harrison. One side featured a lion and a young Lion cub and the other show a photo of his father with a young depiction of the son.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photos

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye wore a gray suit and paid tribute to his alma mater with a Carolina blue tie.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photos

Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold wore a custom patterned pink suit that featured photos of his him and family. He also paid tribute to college team, Alabama, with the Crimson Tide’s “LANK” mantra.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photos

On the red carpet, Caleb Williams arrived and explained his draft-night wardrobe on the NFL Network.

The presumptive No. 1 pick arrived in a Chrome Hearts navy, double-breasted suit. The unusual jacket zipped, rather than a traditional buttons and featured silver crosses that were stacked along his chest and at bottom of his back-right pants leg.

“You don’t see too many people with a double-breasted, zip-up,” he said, describing the look as “very subtle. No big chain or not anything like that. Classy, unique, one-of-one.”

The USC quarterback arrived at the Fox Theatre for the NFL Draft. He hit the red carpet and later was interviewed on the NFL Network by Kaylee Hartung and former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Williams expressed solidarity with Newton, the 2011 No. 1 overall pick, also known for his unique style.

Our reporter Patrick Finley is at the NFL Draft and is ready for the arrivals outside of the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The NFL invited 13 prospects to be on hand, including, of course, the presumptive No. 1 pick, USC quarterback Caleb Williams.