Caleb Williams certainly seems pleased the Chicago Bears landed wide receiver Rome Odunze with their second first-round pick of the 2024 NFL draft.
The Bears hit the jackpot on the first night of the NFL draft on April 25. They selected their quarterback of the future (Williams) with the No. 1 overall pick, then landed one of the top pass-catchers in the class (Odunze) eight picks later at No. 9 overall. It is the type of transformative haul that could define the Bears offense for many years to come.
For Williams, it meant something much simpler.
“We got our guy,” Williams said excitedly in a backstage reaction video after Odunze’s selection. “We got our guy.”
Williams and Odunze spent a little time together during the pre-draft process. Odunze recently caught passes from Williams in an informal capacity along with Bears veteran receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. They also shared on social media that they took the same flight to Detroit to attend the draft.
Now, the two highly-rated offensive prospects will start their NFL careers as teammates in Chicago — something that also seemed to thrill Odunze when they met up backstage.
Caleb Williams & Rome Odunze Elevate Bears Offense
The Bears have done an admirable job building up a better infrastructure for their offense since the conclusion of Ryan Poles’ first season as general manager.
In the past 14 months alone, Chicago has traded for two high-quality veteran receivers (Moore and Allen), extended one of its top receiving weapons (Cole Kmet), invested its 2023 first-round pick on a high-end right tackle (Darnell Wright), acquired two centers (Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton) and signed a 1,000-yard rusher (D’Andre Swift).
Drafting Williams and Odunze on the same night might take the cake, though.
Williams is a special arm talent unlike any the Bears have had before. He threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and just five interceptions on 500 passing attempts during his Heisman Trophy-winning season for USC in 2022 and only improved his accuracy in 2023. If he can adjust quickly to the NFL level, it is possible he could become the first Bears quarterback to throw for at least 4,000 yards in a season as a rookie in 2024.
Odunze should help him along, too. He is a big, strong and polished wide receiver with outstanding hands who has drawn comparisons to Davante Adams. He is also coming off a final season at Washington in which he caught 92 passes and led all FBS receivers with 1,640 yards. While he will likely start as the third option behind Moore and Allen, the sky’s the limit if he can grow and develop in sync with Williams as Bears.
“Oh, I’m excited,” Odunze said. “I got to see from another sideline how special he is, so to finally be on his team now, I know we’re going to be able to accomplish great things.”
Will Bears Get More Help for Caleb Williams on Day 2?
Following the opening round, the Bears have just two more total selections — No. 75 in the third round and No. 122 in the fourth — left in the 2024 NFL draft. Could they still add another offensive player to their roster before the draft ends on April 27, though?
The Bears might want to shift their focus to defense after ignoring that side of the ball with their two most valuable picks. They still need another edge rusher to pair with star Montez Sweat and could also be tempted to add another defensive tackle given their willingness to platoon their interior pass rushers. That said, there are a few situations where drafting another offensive player could make sense for the Bears.
One possibility worth monitoring is the fall of Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson. He is widely considered the top center in this year’s class and could appeal to the Bears if they want to further solidify their offensive line in front of Williams, especially since Bates can play either one of the guard spots as well. The Bears did host Powers-Johnson for a top 30 visit and could potentially use one of their two second-round picks in 2025 as ammunition to move back into the second for him — if they feel he is worth it.
The Bears could also target another offensive lineman or wide receiver without moving from their current pick positions. Someone like Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie could appeal to them in the third round if they are seeking more depth at the position. And while Odunze’s selection could eliminate the possibility of them taking another receiver, they could still use depth with Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr. and Dante Pettis their next-best receivers behind Odunze and their top-tier veteran starters.
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