Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams Host Thursday Night Football Clash After Historic 2024 Draft
Professional football was transformed during the 2024 NFL Draft when an unprecedented six quarterbacks were chosen within the top 12, alongside the first 14 selections all being offensive players. Maye and Williams, two prominent standouts originating from the 2024 NFL Draft in Williams, are set to collide in one of the most eagerly awaited Thursday Night Football matchups of recent years, sparking a look back at the premier picks.
Chicago Bears Retain Caleb Williams at Number One Overall
The Chicago Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024. During the 2025 campaign, Williams guided the Bears to an 11-6 record, a division crown, and a postseason triumph against their arch-rival Green Bay Packers, while passing for a team-record 3,942 yards. Williams struggled early with accuracy, ranking 32nd with a 58.1% completion percentage, but improved his play this season. His 6% off-target rate ranks best in the NFL, and he completed a career-high 83.3% of his passes in a Week 6 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Drake Maye Claims the Second Spot for New England Patriots
Drake Maye experienced a significant second-year jump with the New England Patriots, completing 72% of his passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He finished as the NFL MVP runner-up behind Matthew Stafford and became the second-youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Not since Tom Brady accomplished the feat in 2007 had a quarterback paced the entire league in both completion percentage and yards per attempt until Maye achieved it. His deep-ball accuracy surged, moving to a 58% completion percentage on throws of 15-plus air yards to rank first in the NFL, up from last place as a rookie.
Jayden Daniels Lands at Number Three After Injury Setbacks
Jayden Daniels put together one of the finest rookie seasons in league history during 2024, guiding the Washington Commanders from 4-13 to 12-5 and an NFC Championship appearance. He joined Lamar Jackson in becoming the second quarterback to record 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season, including playoffs, while totaling a rookie-record 37 touchdowns and 5,416 yards. However, injuries derailed his subsequent campaign. Daniels missed 10 games in 2025 due to issues including a dislocated elbow, and is 0-3-1 in his four starts this season after his elbow popped out again in the second game of the season.
Malik Nabers Shines for Arizona Cardinals in Re-Draft
The Arizona Cardinals bypass Marvin Harrison Jr. in this re-draft, selecting wide receiver Malik Nabers instead. Nabers caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. He recorded the second-most receptions (127) in his first 19 games behind Odell Beckham Jr., who had 133. Nabers maintained momentum by recording at least 112 receiving yards in each of the last three games this season, including a 165-yard performance against the New Orleans Saints.
Brock Bowers Sets Tight End Records for Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers select tight end Brock Bowers out of Georgia. Bowers set a tight end rookie record with 112 receptions, 1,194 yards, and five touchdowns. Although he sat out five contests due to injuries during 2025, he hauled in a personal-best seven touchdowns and kicked off the 2026 campaign by recording 28 receptions totaling 382 yards alongside three scores across four outings, marking him as merely the fifth tight end in history to reach those statistics through a season’s first four games, a feat previously accomplished by Rob Gronkowski back in 2015.
Quinyon Mitchell Secures Lockdown Role with New York Giants
The New York Giants address their secondary by drafting cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Mitchell earned First Team All-Pro honors in 2025 by allowing a 39.6% completion percentage in coverage among defensive backs with at least 100 coverage snaps, yielding zero touchdowns. He added four interceptions in the playoffs.
Joe Alt and JC Latham Stabilize Offensive Line Play
The Tennessee Titans select offensive tackle Joe Alt at No. 7. Alt starred as a rookie in 2024 before an ankle injury cost him 11 games in 2025 and a neck issue sidelined him later. With Alt in the lineup last year, the Chargers went 5-1 while averaging 25.3 points per game, compared to 6-6 without him.
Jared Verse and Byron Murphy II Complete the Top Ten
The Minnesota Vikings close the top 10 by selecting interior defensive lineman Byron Murphy II. Murphy paired with Leonard Williams on the Seattle Seahawks during a Super Bowl run, combining for 108 pressures, 35 quarterback hits, and 14.0 sacks in 2025.
Related reading