Bears snag Odunze to bolster Williams' WR group
The Chicago Bears selected Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Odunze is the Bears' second first-round pick after quarterback Caleb Williams went No. 1 overall. He's also the third receiver off the board after the Arizona Cardinals took Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 4) and the New York Giants selected Malik Nabers (No. 6).
The 21-year-old Odunze joins a stacked wideout group that includes D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, who Chicago acquired in a trade in March.
Odunze was a key part of Washington's run to a national title game appearance last season. The home-run threat had a CFB-high 1,640 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 92 catches.
Pre-draft profile
Odunze would've had a very strong case for being the first wide receiver off the board if he'd entered last year's draft. The Washington product has everything NFL teams value in a wideout: size, production, route running, and amazing hands, his standout trait. Odunze redefines "50-50 balls" as "80-20 balls." The 2024 prospect is a master at positioning himself to come down with even the most improbable-looking opportunities. This is a player who'll be a contested-catch monster and red-zone threat at the next level. That's not all, though, as he's also a solid route-runner who plays with good awareness against man and zone. He may not have the breakaway speed to leave cornerbacks in the dust right off the line of scrimmage, but that may not even matter.