Why Bears’ Rome Odunze is no ordinary No

Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterAug 29, 2024, 06:18 AM ET

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. — About a week before the NFL draft, Caleb Williams was already learning about the type of receiver he hoped to be throwing to during his rookie season.

Safe in his assumption that he would hear the Chicago Bears call his name with the No. 1 overall pick on April 25, Williams invited Bears receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen to a throwing session in Los Angeles, not far from the USC campus he called home the previous two years. Upon learning that University of Washington standout receiver Rome Odunze was also training for the draft in the area, Williams extended an additional invite to the second-team All-American.

As their session was drawing to a close, Allen felt a connection developing.

“[Odunze] was running the route, I dropped back, we were throwing a vertical ball at the end of the workout and he got his late hands and everything,” Williams told ESPN, referring to a technique of deceiving a defender by not reaching for the pass until the last second. “Just real smooth.”

“And then Keenan goes, ‘Well, coach has his deep-ball guy,’ and it ended up coming true. We’ll be here letting it rip.”

About 90 minutes after the Bears selected Williams, Odunze was drafted No. 9 and officially joined the deepest wide receiver group Chicago has had in more than a decade. Moore and Allen, whom the Bears acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers in March, form the only tandem on the same team to have topped 1,000 receiving yards last season.

Odunze starred on the Huskies team that finished as the runner-up to Michigan in the 2023 national championship. He’s the biggest wide receiver on the Bears roster at 6-foot-3, 215-pounds, and he ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which was 18th among receivers.

In addition to leading the FBS in receiving (1,640 yards), Odunze had 21 receptions on deep balls (throws 20+ yards downfield), 23 receptions on vertical routes — both marks were the highest in college football — and was tied for the lead with 24 contested catches.

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Pairing Odunze with Williams was a dream scenario for general manager Ryan Poles, but there was a belief the New York Giants might select him at No. 6. After going back and forth with assistant general manager Ian Cunningham over whether to trade up or stand pat, the Bears’ gamble to stay at No. 9 paid off.

New York drafted LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, the Tennessee Titans took offensive tackle JC Latham at No. 7 and the Atlanta Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8. Chicago then landed the player they had coveted since Poles watched Odunze explode for two touchdowns and 120 receiving yards on seven catches in Washington’s win over Washington State on Nov. 25.

The Bears’ receiving room was set, even if the hierarchy wasn’t. In a room loaded with talent and two players with a combined 17 years of NFL experience, Odunze wasn’t going to fade into the background. He might be No. 3 in terms of experience, compared to Moore and Allen, but the level of expectation won’t be any less.

“I think he’s very capable of doing all those things [that Moore and Allen contribute]. I do,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “I’ve said that before. He can chunk a lot of information.

“We are able to move those guys around … that’s really going to be beneficial to our scheme.”

Odunze’s sights are set on far bigger goals than being the No. 3 receiver in the Bears offense, and his coaches embrace that.

“We just talked about that …hey, don’t get comfortable being in that role,” Bears wide receivers coach Chris Beatty said. “Like, you should be trying to take these guys’ spot.”

Rome Odunze isn’t the fastest receiver in the league, as evidenced by his 4.45-second 40-yard dash time at the combine, but his size, speed and instincts produced a huge season at Washington. Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire

ONE AFTERNOON, FOLLOWING an early August practice, Odunze was studying film on his phone of the session that had just ended as he walked up to the podium inside Halas Hall for his media availability. When it’s fresh in his mind, Odunze can track his progress and know what questions to bring to the meeting room later on.

On this particular day, Odunze was watching the first period of 7-on-7 at the goal line and studying the nuances of the 6-2, 211-pound Allen.

“[I watched] Keenan with the big-body catch,” Odunze said. “Keenan also had another post route where we were looking at the stem of it, and the defender was playing a little more flat-footed … Then I’ll watch one of the scramble rules, too. Caleb threw me a good ball out there. Gotta come down with it.”

Allen, the six-time Pro Bowler with the Chargers, often fields questions from his protégé about the details of his routes and releases. The 32-year-old will watch Odunze’s reps and offer suggestions about what he did well and what he could improve on. As camp went on, Allen would start asking the rookie the same questions about his own reps.

It didn’t take Allen long to understand what Odunze brings to this offense.

“He’s a little bit better than me when I came in,” Allen said. “He’s faster. He comes out of his breaks better than I did when I was that young. He looks like more polished than I was as a receiver.”

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With as much attention as Williams draws as the No. 1 overall pick, it’s easy sometimes to forget that there’s another top-10 pick in the Bears offense. Odunze possesses the type of talent the Bears believe can change the complexion of the offense. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be learning moments along the way.

In Chicago’s 33-6 win at Buffalo on Aug. 10, Odunze and Williams failed to connect on a pass in the end zone that would have resulted in a touchdown. One week later, Odunze was on the receiving end of the Bears’ biggest play of the preseason when he hauled in a 45-yard off-script pass from Williams with a Cincinnati Bengals defender draped all over him down the sideline. One play later, Williams lasered a pass to Odunze in the back right corner of the end zone for an apparent touchdown.

The only problem? Odunze’s feet were a hair out of bounds.

These are the moments that have provided Odunze growth opportunity. In a crowded wide receiver room, it can be hard not to compare himself to the two veterans whose experience has them doing things that appear flawless.

“Sometimes I’ll watch Keenan, sometimes I’ll watch DJ, and they do things, I’m like, ‘I don’t know if that’s in my playbook,'” Odunze said. “I’m going to have to figure out a different way to get the route done, because they’re special in that way. They have such unique traits to be able to do so many different things and the comfortability to get open on any given route.

“Just learning those things and the different nuances that they do within a route and catching the ball that I try and emulate. Gotta find my own style within that as well.”

Whether catching passes before the draft, flashing their potential during preseason games or hanging out at a Sky game, Caleb Williams (left) and Odunze are establishing a strong bond. Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

AHEAD OF OFFENSIVE coordinator Shane Waldron’s final season in Seattle in 2023, the Seahawks drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th overall pick.

Behind veterans D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the former Ohio State standout was the clear No. 3 in Seattle’s offense and finished his rookie season with 63 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns. Smith-Njigba saw 26 fewer targets than Metcalf, who led the team in receiving, but Smith-Njigba had the second-most passes thrown his way (119).

That’s an impressive feat for a rookie playing behind two established veterans. It reminded Allen of his own journey, when he broke into the league in 2013. The Chargers, then playing in San Diego, had tight end Antonio Gates, who had made nine Pro Bowls at that point, and receivers Vincent Brown and Ladarius Green. Yet Allen led the team with 1,046 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

“I think [Odunze’s] instinct is major,” Allen said. “Confidence is key, first and foremost.

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“I was the same way. I’m trying to come in and take spots, be the No. 1 guy and just try to do what my goals are. But, sometimes realistically, that ain’t how it goes. I didn’t start my first game of the season. I was like No. 3, No. 4 on the depth chart. It took some guys to get hurt to be able to be in this position where I am now, 12 years in. The cards may not play out like that for him. But we’re gonna need him, that’s for sure. And we’re gonna need him to make plays.”

Though coaches believe Odunze is capable of being the top receiver in this offense, having him learn from the two veterans is a major asset.

“These guys are proven vets,” Beatty said. “Keenan is a six-time Pro Bowler. DJ should be a multiple-time Pro Bowler … At the end of the day, I want to push these guys, too.

“I think we got to a point now where [Odunze is] able to take a jump because he can play multiple spots. I think he’s got the mentality — he wants to learn. But he’s got some dog. He’s a quiet dog. He’s not one of those guys that’s woofing really loud. But when it comes time to get that bone he’s gonna make sure he’s in there to get it. He’s gonna make sure he can capitalize on all his opportunities.”

Even knowing that he could have been a clear-cut No. 1 receiver if he were drafted by Arizona or New York, Odunze sees the benefit in where he is on the depth chart currently and where it may propel him during his rookie season.

“For me, I just like to play with the cards that I was dealt, and I feel I was dealt a pretty good hand in this situation, just being able to compete alongside some of the best in the game,” Odunze said. “I think it’s something that will set a foundation for me as my career grows.”

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