The Chicago Bears took Caleb Williams #1 overall in April. That has been the story everybody has been focused on for the past two months, which is no surprise. Quarterbacks always get the headlines. People know the Bears’ story at that position and how they’ve waited years for a genuine franchise star. However, that move has made it easy to overlook the other 1st round pick they made barely an hour later in the same draft. Under normal circumstances, the Bears taking Rome Odunze would be the talk of the off-season.
That is the argument Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times makes. Though a consistent critic of the Bears’ efforts over the past few years, he admitted a level of intrigue over Odunze’s arrival. He believes that if he hadn’t walked into a locker room that already had D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, there is a plausible scenario where Odunze puts together a stellar rookie season in the same category of a Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase. He is that talented. Lieser broke this down on the Under Center podcast.
People talk about the quarterbacks. They don’t often mention how ugly the Bears’ track record at wide receiver is, especially regarding the draft. In the Super Bowl era, excluding Odunze, Chicago has taken five receivers in the 1st round. All five failed to crack 5,000 yards receiving during their time with the organization. The top two names in career receiving for the Bears, Johnny Morris and Harlon Hill, both retired in the 1960s. Kevin White was a bust. David Terrell was a bust. Both were top 10 picks.
That is the track record Rome Odunze hopes to fix. He said he wants to leave the Bears organization in a better place than what he found it. A good way to do that is by showing everybody he can be a consistently productive presence over the long term. Every promising receiver they’ve drafted in the past 40 years left within seven seasons of their arrival. Curtis Conway did it. Marty Booker was traded. Marcus Robinson never fully recovered from a knee injury. Alshon Jeffery left in free agency.
Odunze has a chance to redirect the organization’s path.
