After selecting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, the Chicago Bears doubled down on offense by taking Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth pick of the NFL Draft.
Many had projected the Bears to select Odunze, so this decision did not come as much of a surprise.
An NFL scout tells the NFL Analysis Network that Chicago will not be sorry with the pick.
“This offense is going to be scary. Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and Rome Odunze? Caleb Williams is going to be the happiest quarterback in the NFL,” the scout said. “That’s why this pick was made. Williams and Odunze are close and he has every weapon he could possibly want. They’ve always made the mistake of not having a good supporting cast around their young quarterback. Not this time. At this point, the only question they need to answer is protection for Williams. They need to add to their offensive line. I love this pick. Rome Odunze is a future superstar.”
Odunze is coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign in which he hauled in 92 receptions for 1,640 yards and eight touchdowns.
The 21-year-old arrived at Washington in in 2020 but had a very limited impact during his freshman season. The following year, his role grew, and he caught 41 passes for 415 yards and four scores.
Odunze then broke out in his junior campaign, snaring 75 balls for 1,145 yards while reaching the end zone seven times.
The Bears are certainly loaded with offensive talent. Not only will they have Moore, Allen and Odunze in their receiving corps, but they also boast tight end Cole Kmet and signed running back D’Andre Swift in free agency.
Williams will certainly have plenty of weapons at his disposal in 2024. We’ll see if he takes advantage of Rome Odunze and Co. come September.
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