Caleb Williams may get most of the attention for obvious reasons, but there is plenty of excitement around the other Chicago Bears 1st round pick too. Rome Odunze is widely considered the cleanest prospect in the entire draft. He doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses to nitpick. He has size, speed, and hands, runs good routes, and, by all accounts, is a young man of impeccable character. The only thing holding him back from being an immediate playmaker for this team is the fact he must share the ball with two other outstanding receivers.
Comparisons for Odunze have been lofty. The most common is Arizona Cardinals icon Larry Fitzgerald, with sprinkles of former Packers superstar Davante Adams mixed in. Hard not to be excited about that. Well, former Jets and Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum took it a step further. He called Odunze his favorite pick by any team in the entire draft. Why? He believes the Washington standout may end up emerging as the best receiver in this class, and it’s because his skill set resembles one of the best to ever play.
Tannenbaum: Odunze. He has a legitimate chance to be the best receiver from this draft. Under the motto of “win for today and develop for tomorrow,” the Bears have Allen on a one-year deal, and Odunze has Terrell Owens’ type of ability. Odunze had 1,640 receiving yards and 13 scores in 2023. This is ideal for Chicago.
People will immediately jump to the personality, but that isn’t the point. Tannenbaum says Odunze’s ability and style of play reflect what Owens did best during his Hall of Fame career. If you want some evidence to support this, look at the measurements between the two.
Owens:
Odunze:
The two are almost identical. They’re the same size with the same speed. Also like Owens, Rome Odunze will have a chance to learn from a future Hall of Famer. T.O. spent five seasons playing alongside the immortal Jerry Rice. Odunze will get a chance to learn from six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen in Chicago. Owens went on to finish with the third-most receiving yards in NFL history. The Bears would love nothing better if Odunze somehow approaches even half of that production.
