Rome Odunze: Grading Chicago Bears' No. 9 pick in NFL draft

First you draft your franchise quarterback and then you bolster an already stout wide receiver room by adding former Washington Husky Rome Odunze. With offensive tackles Joe Alt and JC Latham already being coming off the board, it's clear that the Bears will patiently wait to add some depth in the trenches and continue to give quarterback Caleb Williams a plethora of weapons.

Here's the grade.

A 50-50 ball monster, Odunze’s 21 contested catches led the nation in 2023 while his 75 percent contested-catch rate is the second-best among draft-eligible receivers. The Husky also showed massive success as a vertical threat as his 23 deep-ball catches and 783 receiving yards on deep balls both paced all FBS wideouts in 2023 per Pro Football Focus. Drops are not an area of concern either as Odunze’s 3.2% drop rate in 2023 ranks fourth among draft-eligible receivers.

His Mike Evans-type frame, reach, and underrated explosiveness should pose him as a huge mismatch against opposing secondaries at the next level. Like Nabers, he’d more than likely be the top receiver off the board in many other classes.

Getting a do-it-all wideout like Odunze instantly gives Chicago one of the top wide receiver corps in the league. He will most likely be slotted in as a WR3 behind established pass catchers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen at first but has WR1 potential down the road. I love this pick and Bears fans should as well.

The Bears' offense got a lot better on Thursday.

Grade: B+