Caleb Williams Draft Night Jersey Sales Break Caitlin Clark's Record

Clark's record stood for 10 days before Williams broke it.

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams holds up his / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams had quite an evening on Thursday. The Chicago Bears made the USC quarterback the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and he broke a record owned by Caitlin Clark.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting Williams broke the Fanatics record for draft night merchandise sales for any draft pick in any sport. The previous record had stood for 10 days after Caitlin Clark set it during the 2024 WNBA draft. Given Clark's penchant for setting unbreakable records, that's quite an achievement for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

Williams is has spent the last two seasons playing in the second-biggest city in the United States, and is now set to play in the third-biggest. It's safe to say he has a lot of people rooting for him. Given his charisma and the fact that he's been in squarely in the spotlight for more than two years, this development shouldn't be too shocking. And he's likely just getting started.

The Bears have already begun building out an excellent collection of talent around their new franchise quarterback. Chicago is loaded at receiver with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and fellow first-round pick Rome Odunze now in place. The franchise also has Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett at tight end and added D'Andre Swift at running back. With Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright returning at the tackle spots, Williams should have an excellent offense to build with. If he has success as a rookie, he might have one of the hottest jerseys in the NFL by the end of the season.

Williams had a dream scenario on Thursday night. He became the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and broke a record before he even stepped on the field. Now he just has to deliver when he finally does.