The Chicago Bears bucked tradition in the 2024 NFL draft. While they took the quarterback at #1 overall, as many expected, the widespread belief was they’d pivot to the defense at the 9th spot. It made logical sense. They needed a second pass rusher to pair with Montez Sweat. Houston had done that exact same thing last year with C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson. Instead, GM Ryan Poles went all in on his young quarterback, grabbing him another weapon in the form of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.
While nobody hated the pick, it felt a bit luxurious. The Bears already had D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen in place—two of the best in the NFL. So why? The simple answer is Poles couldn’t justify passing on him. Odunze was too high on their board. They felt it was a 50/50 chance, at best, he’d even be there. Bears wide receivers coach Chris Beatty helped put things in perspective. Moore and Allen bring two specific, highly effective styles to the table. Odunze is a combination of both.
Beatty called Moore a “bull in a china shop” while Allen is “paint-the-edges on Picasso.”
“At the end of the day, you get every angle,” he said. “And Rome (Odunze) is kind of in between. There are times when he’s rugged and rough like DJ and then there’s part of his game that’s intricate like Keenan.”
People tend to exaggerate when comparing you to guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Owens. Yet when a legitimate receivers coach calls you a combo of two of the best in the league right now, that has to turn heads. The Bears have never drafted a truly great wide receiver in their long history. Some have flirted with the possibility over the years. Harlon Hill, Curtis Conway, and Alshon Jeffery come to mind. Yet, for one reason or another, none of them managed to sustain long, productive careers. Odunze has the best opportunity of them all.
That is because he’ll be paired with Caleb Williams from the start. If the young quarterback is as good as many believe, he should have that job locked down for a long time. Rome Odunze gets to be there from the start. If the Bears keep them together, it could yield tremendous results. Odunze won’t just rewrite the record books, he may destroy them. One can only hope Beatty is correct in his assessment. Moore and Allen are impossible to cover by themselves. So what would happen if they were fused like Goku and Vegeta?
We might be about to find out.
