Caleb Williams top pick in quarterback-heavy NFL draft

Pick-six took on an entirely different meaning during the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night in Detroit.

Led by Southern California signal-caller Caleb Williams, who went No. 1 to the Chicago Bears, six of the first 12 picks were quarterbacks for the first time in league history.

Each of the first 14 picks was an offensive player, which doubled the previous record of seven offensive players to start the draft in 2021.

"To be able to be here, it's an honour," Williams said on the NFL Network after the Bears called his name. "I'm very privileged."

A half-dozen franchises hope they found their long-term answer at quarterback.

LSU's Jayden Daniels went No. 2 to the Washington Commanders and North Carolina's Drake Maye went No. 3 to the New England Patriots to start the draft.

"Let's go," Maye said on the broadcast. "I'm ready to go compete. I'm ready to get to New England. We're going to have a blast."

The early sequence marked the fourth time in NFL history that teams selected quarterbacks with each of the top three picks. It also happened in 1971, 1999 and 2021, the most recent time when Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance went in the top three.

The Atlanta Falcons provided the first big surprise of the evening by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8. The Falcons spent a first-round pick on a quarterback despite signing veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins in March to a deal worth $100 million guaranteed.

Cousins got a brief heads-up from the Falcons, when they were on the clock, that they planned to select another quarterback in the first round, according to the veteran QB's agent.

That's a wrap on Night 1. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/4YNYkawFo8

The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot in the