New NFL star Caleb Williams has already dethroned Caitlin Clark in terms of draft-night merchandise sales less than 24 hours after he was taken at No. 1 overall.
Basketball sensation Clark set a new benchmark earlier this month when she was taken by the Indiana Fever as the first pick in the WNBA Draft.
With Clark’s popularity soaring after her latest March Madness campaign with the Iowa Hawkeyes, her jersey became the best-ever seller for a draft pick last week.
Fanatics – the official online retailer of the WNBA – was quick to see its stock of Clark’s No. 22 Fever jerseys run out within hours of the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader turning pro.
But, while no figures have been disclosed, Williams has now surpassed the amount of sales achieved by Clark.
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Caleb Williams has dethroned Caitlin Clark in terms of merchandise sales for draft picks
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Clark set new records last week after being selected by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft
Fanatics posted on X: ‘Can confirm #DaBears just proved they might be the hypest fanbase in the league.
‘Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams just broke our record for draft night merchandise sales for any draft pick in ANY sport.’
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Clark surpassed Trevor Lawrence in 2021 after he was taken at No. 1 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
‘My goal is to get into as far as February as I can,’ Williams said, referring to playing in a Super Bowl for a team that hasn’t hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in nearly 40 years.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner kicked off an historic NFL draft Thursday night that had five other teams selecting quarterbacks among the top 12 picks, setting a record with five in the top 10 and tying a record for the most in the first round.
The Bears opened with the easy choice, taking Williams at No. 1 after deciding weeks ago to bank on the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC.
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Williams is aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades
‘Care, love and support and want to win,’ Williams said about what he’s bringing to Chicago.
The Washington Commanders followed up by taking 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU and the New England Patriots took North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No. 3, making it the fourth draft with quarterbacks going with the first three picks.
At No. 8, the Atlanta Falcons made a stunning decision to choose Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. despite signing Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in free agency.
The Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot and took J.J. McCarthy, who led Michigan to a national championship, to make it five QBs in the top 10 for the first time.
The Denver Broncos chose Oregon’s Bo Nix with the 12th pick, tying the 1983 draft with six QBs in the first round. Three of those became Hall of Famers – John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly.
