There were several moments throughout his college career when Rome Odunze probably earned the admiration of the Chicago Bears scouting department. Maybe it was his breakout performance as a sophomore against Stanford when he went for 161 yards and a touchdown. Maybe it was the three-game stretch last season when he scored six touchdowns. Or maybe it was posting 227 receiving yards in the Pac-12 championship and Sugar Bowl to get Washington to the national title game. However, the moment that likely set him on a path to Chicago came at, of all places, the scouting combine.
The pre-draft event was productive for Odunze. He ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 39 inches. Nobody disputed that he was one of the top performers there. Yet there was one problem. His time in the 3-cone drill didn’t match his expectations. Odunze expected to run it in 6.6 seconds or less. It didn’t happen. Almost every other player would’ve shrugged their shoulders and ended the workout. Not Odunze. He stayed on the field even after everybody else had left and kept running it.
He never managed to crack 6.6 but did get a 6.88, which was the fourth-fastest time of any receiver at the event. It was a glaring display of the competitiveness and work ethic Odunze possessed.
“I think for me, I had told everybody I was going to finish the combine and compete in everything I did. When I was going through that process, they weren’t giving me a time because they didn’t say I was doing the drill exactly how I wanted it done. To me, I wasn’t leaving the field until I had completed every single task I said I was going to compete. That’s just me as a man. I hold my word very sternly and doing what I say I’m going to do. It was my goal to go out and compete at every single thing at the combine and I wasn’t going to leave the field until that was done.”
Remember, GM Ryan Poles has said he wants competitors. Head coach Matt Eberflus wants players willing to work really hard. The young receiver displayed both qualities with that little stunt. Nobody had ever chosen to stay on a practice field longer because he was unsatisfied with his time. Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t even participate in the combine at all, nor did Malik Nabers. While they may have gone ahead of him in the draft, the Bears may have ended up getting the guy who has the best career.
Talent was never a question with Rome Odunze. He has everything you could want in a wide receiver. There is no way he falls to the 9th pick in almost any other draft. That is how good he is. The Bears felt lucky when he got to them, admitting it was a 50/50 shot at best. Now he gets to pair with one of the best quarterback prospects in years on a team his favorite player (Devin Hester) became famous on. If he pans out as hoped, that statement at the combine will become part of his legend.
