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Chicago Bears coaching staff had massive grade on WR Rome Odunze in 2024 NFL Draft

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze was a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the team's new coaching staff had an even higher grade on him.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze was a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and while that alone is a badge of honor for the former Washington Huskies star, his new coaching staff had an even higher evaluation of him.

Bears wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El met with reporters on Thursday and said Odunze was his WR1 last year this time.

"Last year everyone had Marvin Harrison Jr. No. 1... then Malik Nabers," Randle El said. "I had Rome No. 1."

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) gets yards after catch
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Odunze finished his first season with the Bears with 54 catches for 734 yards and four touchdowns, a stat line that trailed several rookie wide receivers, including fellow top-10 picks Harrison and Nabers.

But none of that matters in 2025, especially not with this coaching staff, which clearly believes in Odunze's upside to become an elite WR1 in the NFL.

Odunze is on the launching pad for a breakout season now that he won't have to compete with Keenan Allen for targets. His chemistry with Caleb Williams, which began last April on Draft night, is obvious, and now, with a year of pro experience under his belt, his upside is as high as any young receiver's in the NFL.

The addition of Ben Johnson calling plays and a coach like Randle El putting Odunze in the best position possible to produce makes the Williams-to-Odunze combo as exciting as any young QB-WR tandem in the league.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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