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With the first overall pick, the Bears do as expected, selecting the top quarterback in the draft. Time to pop the champagne, Chicago
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And here’s a reminder of tonight’s draft order. The fun and games will really begin with the second pick, with the Bears expected to take Caleb Williams with the No 1 overall pick. From there, based on all reports, it’s going to be trade bedlam. Who will trade up for JJ McCarthy? Will the Patriots deal away the third pick? How many teams will leap up for this crop of offensive linemen? It won’t be long until we find out.
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1) Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
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2) Washington Commanders
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3) New England Patriots
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4) Arizona Cardinals
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5) Los Angeles Chargers
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6) New York Giants
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7) Tennessee Titans
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8) Atlanta Falcons
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9) Chicago Bears
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10) New York Jets
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11) Minnesota Vikings
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12) Denver Broncos
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13) Las Vegas Raiders
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14) New Orleans Saints
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15) Indianapolis Colts
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16) Seattle Seahawks
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17) Jacksonville Jaguars
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18) Cincinnati Bengals
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19) Los Angeles Rams
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20) Pittsburgh Steelers
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21) Miami Dolphins
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22) Philadelphia Eagles
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23) Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland)
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24) Dallas Cowboys
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25) Green Bay Packers
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26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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27) Arizona Cardinals (from Houston)
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28) Buffalo Bills
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29) Detroit Lions
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30) Baltimore Ravens
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31) San Francisco 49ers
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32) Kansas City Chiefs
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You can view the order for all seven rounds here.
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Key events
Profile: Caleb Williams, Quarterback, USC. Williams has been the favorite to be the Bears’ pick all along. He is known for his out-of-time creativity, but he is a cleaner pocket passer than the typical freelance artists. There have been non-stop comparisons to Patrick Mahomes for two years, thanks to his ability to extend plays and spin magic with his arms and leg. One GM recently compared Williams to Prince, which was intended as a criticism but sounds like a hell of a compliment. Williams has been the top quarterback in college football for two seasons running. 2023 was considered a down year for Williams after his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2022, but Williams showed growth as a passer despite USC’s struggles. In Chicago, he will land on a team ready to make an immediate playoff push, a unique situation for a No 1 overall pick.
Caleb Williams is the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft
With the first overall pick, the Bears do as expected, selecting the top quarterback in the draft. Time to pop the champagne, Chicago
And the Chicago Bears are now officially on the clock! The only lingering question: will they run the pick up to the podium or will they take their full ten minutes?
Roger Goodell walks out to a rousing chorus of boos – thank you to Detroit for maintaining the league’s most delightful tradition. He brought out Eminem, Calvin Johnson, Aidan Hutchinson and Jared Goff with him, which helped a little.
Also: Calvin Johnson looks like he would still be the best receiver in the league.
Bill Belichick is not presiding over a draft for the first time since 2000. Instead, he’s holed up with a denim-clad Pat McAfee breaking down his draft board. Worth noting (maybe?) Belichick has the top QBs in this order: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye. Will New England agree?
This is real life. pic.twitter.com/LSehT88hOe
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 25, 2024
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Predictions
Okay. Time for some last-minute predictions. Here’s how I see the top five playing out:
1) Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2) Washington Commanders, Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3) New England Patriots, Drake Maye, QB, UNC
4) Arizona Cardinals, Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State
5) Los Angeles Chargers, JC Latham, OT, Alabama
(Note: The Chargers should auction this pick to the highest bidder looking to trade up for JJ McCarthy.)
Thoughts, questions, comments? You can email oliver.connolly@guardian.com or tweet @OllieConnolly
Here comes the pomp. We just had a delightful rendition of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ from Angela Davis. A 9.5/10. There were tears, cheers and only a couple of people chugging beers (step it up, Detroit).
The drama is almost under way. Well, not exactly. The Bears will soon be on the clock and Caleb Williams will be on his way to Chicago.
Don’t tell this Vikings fan, but Minnesota’s bold strategy to deal for an extra first-round pick back in March, in hopes of giving them the ammunition needed to jump up for one of this year’s top quarterbacks, may come to … nothing.
Jeff Darlingon of ESPN reports that things are “tense” inside Minnesota’s war room as they try to engineer a move up the draft board.
Oops. It’s kind of peculiar that Minnesota felt the need to make the deal with the Texans so early in the process rather than waiting until draft night to see how the board played out.
It’s almost time to kick things off. One subplot to keep an eye on: will Roger Goodell be able to give his infamous bear hugs? ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the commissioner had back surgery three weeks ago, putting his typical ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment in jeopardy.
Remember when Goodell got to run the draft from a lounge chair in his basement? That was fun (and a little weird). He should be able to chill in a recliner and call out the picks every year.
This is Detroit’s first time hosting the league’s annual carnival. And they’re doing things in a typically Detroit style. How about Dan Campbell as a ‘Grit and Glory’ fortune teller?
The Lions created a Dan Campbell 'Grit and Glory' fortune teller at the NFL Draft experience.
"I feel the wind underneath my freakin' wings, man." pic.twitter.com/AlxFxzne0b
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) April 25, 2024
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The Lions created a Dan Campbell ‘Grit and Glory’ fortune teller at the NFL Draft experience.
“I feel the wind underneath my freakin’ wings, man.” pic.twitter.com/AlxFxzne0b
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) April 25, 2024
If you can’t be in Detroit to hang out with Campbell, you can catch the draft here:
Caleb Williams will almost certainly be the first player off the board to the Bears with the No 1 overall pick. Who will be the No 2 pick? Here’s how our writers (myself included) view it:
Congrats to Kliff Kingsbury because the Washington offensive coordinator is going to have a blast with LSU’s Jayden Daniels, who is coming off a spectacular year with the Tigers. His explosive playmaking is evident, but his play in the pocket has vastly improved. This kid is just getting started. Melissa Jacobs
North Carolina’s Drake Maye has more upside, but Washington, riding 20-plus years of stink, need a quarterback with wins in his arm, now. Daniels is the fast track to respectability: a speedy, mobile, creative force at LSU, he ran for 10 touchdowns last season and threw with deadly accuracy. David Lengel
It feels like a lock that it will be Daniels, thought I wouldn’t put it past the Commanders to fall in love with Michigan’s JJ McCarthy. Daniels is a funky prospect; he was a starry duel threat at LSU, but it’s tough to see whether the best elements of his game – his running, his deep ball – will smoothly transition to the NFL. He doesn’t possess Lamar Jackson-esque breakaway speed and has a brittle frame. As a thrower from the pocket, he has a snappy delivery but struggles to shift to his second and third reads. There is some RGIII to his game. Do Washington want to tread that path again? Oliver Connolly
It’s Drake Maye. The buzz suggests Washington are in love with Jayden Daniels but when head coach Dan Quinn searches his feelings he will find Maye bears striking similarities to his former QB in Atlanta, Matt Ryan. The UNC star has a cannon for an arm (both a blessing and a curse, leading to accuracy issues) and is the unflappable franchise leader the Commanders need. Graham Searles
You can also catch up on more of our draft previews here:
Draft order for the first-round
And here’s a reminder of tonight’s draft order. The fun and games will really begin with the second pick, with the Bears expected to take Caleb Williams with the No 1 overall pick. From there, based on all reports, it’s going to be trade bedlam. Who will trade up for JJ McCarthy? Will the Patriots deal away the third pick? How many teams will leap up for this crop of offensive linemen? It won’t be long until we find out.
1) Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
2) Washington Commanders
3) New England Patriots
4) Arizona Cardinals
5) Los Angeles Chargers
6) New York Giants
7) Tennessee Titans
8) Atlanta Falcons
9) Chicago Bears
10) New York Jets
11) Minnesota Vikings
12) Denver Broncos
13) Las Vegas Raiders
14) New Orleans Saints
15) Indianapolis Colts
16) Seattle Seahawks
17) Jacksonville Jaguars
18) Cincinnati Bengals
19) Los Angeles Rams
20) Pittsburgh Steelers
21) Miami Dolphins
22) Philadelphia Eagles
23) Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland)
24) Dallas Cowboys
25) Green Bay Packers
26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
27) Arizona Cardinals (from Houston)
28) Buffalo Bills
29) Detroit Lions
30) Baltimore Ravens
31) San Francisco 49ers
32) Kansas City Chiefs
Oliver will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look at our predictions for tonight and the days to come.