There wasn’t much mystery surrounding the Bulls’ first draft pick Tuesday night. There was almost no way for them to mess it up, even if they’re (presumably) no longer in the messing-things-up business.With the fourth pick in a “big four” NBA Draft, the Bulls just had to wait and see which three players went before them and then turn in the remaining name to the commissioner. That’s not to say Caleb Wilson will become the best player that was available at that spot, but it’s pretty clear that right now, he was the best player available.Nothing is more stressful than making a decision, so this was a nice way for Bryson Graham to ease into his new role as executive vice president of basketball operations.As expected, predicted and mock drafted, the last guy remaining at No. 4 was Wilson, the erstwhile North Carolina freshman forward, and that’s who the Bulls selected Tuesday night. Everyone knew it was happening. Everyone except Wilson, apparently.“I tried not to read into the media,” he told reporters Tuesday night. “I didn’t wanna get attached to the Bulls and it didn’t happen.”Then it happened. And Wilson showed that he was immediately attached, repeating the team’s long-held marketing slogan “See Red” on national TV.Chicago Bulls go with ‘safest pick’ in UNC’s Caleb WilsonZach Harper and CJ MooreWe’re about to enter a very confusing era in Chicago sports with Caleb Wilson (Bulls) and Caleb Williams (Bears), but for the first time in a very long time, there is authentic enthusiasm about a Bulls draft pick, not to mention a Bears quarterback.On paper and in the sizzle reel, the 6-foot-10, 215-pound Wilson looks like a godsend for the Bulls, an electric, long-limbed forward with charisma to spare.“I want to be the greatest of all time,” he said after the pick. “Y’all got one of the goats in y’all history, so it’s time for another one.”He’s talking about another North Carolina-to-Bulls star, and it’s not Coby White.“He’s going to be a great player,” Graham said after the draft. “We’re going to do everything we can to get him there. We know that his development is going to obviously take time. But that mentality is what we want in this building. And we’re really, really excited about it.”The last time the Bulls picked at No. 4 was in 2020 when they took another ACC freshman big man in Patrick Williams, who remains on the roster as a different kind of goat.The difference between those two is that in college Wilson actually produced. This pick wasn’t just projection. He averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds before his season ended with a hand injury. He scored in double figures in all 24 college games he played, and he collected 11 double-doubles.As his fellow Bulls draft pick Dailyn Swain said Tuesday night, Wilson’s highlights package runs a little long and is very repetitive.“I just seen a five-minute video of all his dunks this season,” he told reporters. “It was the longest thing I’ve watched.”
In drafting Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain, Bulls EVP Bryson Graham makes his plan known
Faced with a tall order, Graham is going with SLAP mantra (size, length, athleticism and physicality) ... and adding a little personality.












