Bears gift Caleb Williams an early present by selecting one of the top WRs in the 2024 NFL Draft
After selecting quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears have given him a new weapon on offense. With the Bears second pick in the first round of the draft, the team has officially selected Washington Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick. The Bears decision with […]
After selecting quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears have given him a new weapon on offense.
With the Bears second pick in the first round of the draft, the team has officially selected Washington Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick.
The Bears decision with their second pick in the first round has been heavily debated for months with the team considering all of the top wide receivers, defensive lineman, and offensive tackles with this selection.
In the end, the Bears decide to go with easily the best player available in Odunze, who will now join the room already comprised of two Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.
This selection now gives the Bears THE best wide receiver trio in the National Football League to surround their new young star at the quarterback position. The three wide receivers have already met and began catches passes from their new quarterback ahead of the draft, as confirmed by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
In any other draft class, Odunze would have been viewed as potentially the top wide receiver but was the third off the board behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. All three wide receivers have been viewed as the top in the class depending on who you ask and the Bears got a fantastic playmaker in Odunze.
During his time at Washington, Odunze primarily lined up as an outside wide receiver in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s spread offense and will remain in that role in Chicago. In his final season at Washington, Odunze led the FBS with 1,640 receiving yards and hauled in 13 touchdowns.
Odunze was a first-down/touchdown machine at the FBS level and was also one of the top downfield playmakers in college football. According to The Athletic's Dane Brugler, Odunze's 32 catches of 20-plus yards in 2023 ranked second most in the FBS behind Nabers' 34 catches of 20-plus yards.
"Odunze is field fast with fluid route running and above-average tracking/adjustment skills to secure catches in high-trafficked areas or create explosive plays downfield. His body control at the catch point has always been a strength, but he took major strides in 2023 with his ability to play through contact and use focused concentration to win 50 -50 balls. Overall, Odunze is an above- average height/weight/speed athlete with the pass-catching instincts and competitive focus to be a playmaking NFL receiver." – Dane Brugler
The Bears have been connected with Odunze throughout the entire process and his late connections with the team's new quarterback surely make this selection even more enticing for the front office.
"I thought there was a sense of winning in the air," Odunze said on the Rich Eisen show ahead of the draft when asked about how his Top-30 visit in Chicago went. "The team was prepared to go all the way and I think I could be a vital piece in that."
By selecting Odunze, the Bears passed on selecting a top edge rusher to play alongside Montez Sweat and a top offensive tackle to challenge Braxton Jones for the starting job at left tackle. I'd expect those two positions and potentially defensive tackle to be on the table for the Bears on Day 2 of the draft.
Overall, this was a massive first round win for the Bears by landing their quarterback of the future and a top wide receiver to help take the offense to a new level.
Popular first round pairing for the Bears are already building rapport on the way to the 2024 NFL Draft
Will the two join forces in Chicago?
