One thing we’ve learned about the draft over the years is that certain players are always viewed differently depending on each team. One quarterback considered the best in the class could be seen as maybe the third best by another. Chicago Bears fans know the story by now. They were always taking Caleb Williams #1 overall. As for #9, GM Ryan Poles had his heart set on Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze. It ended up working out that way, but what people don’t know is what would’ve happened if it didn’t.
Had the New York Giants taken Odunze at #6, the Bears would’ve just gone with LSU receiver Malik Nabers, right? Nope. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron dropped that little nugget. If Odunze wasn’t there, Poles would’ve gone in a totally different direction.
As for who the Bears may have had in mind, it was a former high school teammate of Williams: Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu.
While Odunze has delivered a productive season for the Bears, Nabers is on the cusp of cracking 1,000 yards this season despite atrocious issues at quarterback in New York. Why wouldn’t the Bears GM consider him? It likely boils down to personality concerns. There were worries that Nabers had certain attitude problems from his time at LSU. He lacked maturity and could get flustered too easily. Odunze carried himself like an adult, worked hard relentlessly, and had plenty of talent.
Ryan Poles’ unwillingness to take chances on guys with outlandish character traits might be a reason his drafts haven’t produced anything special. It would certainly have been interesting if Fashanu was the pick. He had a solid year with the Jets once moved to left tackle, allowing just 12 pressures in six games. Maybe the Bears’ offensive line would be in a better place right now.
