The Chicago Bears took former USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday and the kid is already breaking records.
Williams, long anticipated to be the Bears’ selection, smashed a record for draft night jersey sales Thursday, beating a record that was just set by former Iowa superstar baller Caitlin Clark, according to a Friday tweet from Adam Schefter.
Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams broke the Fanatics record for draft night merchandise sales for any draft pick in any sport, beating the previous record set last week by Caitlin Clark.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2024
The Midwest loves its sports stars, apparently. First Clark, who went to Iowa and will now play for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, and now Williams. Chicago, Iowa, Indiana … the American Midwest will be draped in the garb of their future superstars. (RELATED: Former NFL Lineman Found Dead At 28)
Williams himself acknowledged the Chicago-faithful Friday. “That’s Chicago for ya!!!” he wrote in reply to Schefter’s tweet.
That’s Chicago for ya!!! https://t.co/BQRQW7v0gL
— Caleb Williams (@CALEBcsw) April 26, 2024
It’s not hard to see why Bears fans are pumped. There are definitely question marks about Williams’ mindset, his toughness and just his manliness in general. I mean, dude wears dresses and paints his nails. But he can sling pigskin. He threw over 10,000 yards in his three years in college and earned himself the 2022 Heisman Award.
He’s looking to be the Bears first QB to ever pass for over 4,000 yards. They’re the only team in the NFL to never achieve the feat despite being around for a gazillion years (actually only 104 but who’s counting.)
Williams will have a lot of pressure to perform, especially after the city went out and bought his jersey like hotcakes. We’ll see if he can deliver on the hype but for now it’s all smiles for the kid.