A former Bears quarterback believes the team has one clear answer for their decision with the No. 9 overall pick in the upcoming draft. On the NFL Network, Chase Daniel said GM Ryan Poles needs to turn in a card for Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.
“It would be an amazing fit,” Daniel said on NFL Network.
Almost the entire NFL world agrees that Caleb Williams is going to be the next Chicago Bears quarterback when the draft finally begins next month. However, there are a variety of opinions on what they should do with the No. 9 pick. In addition to adding an elite pass-catching talent, the Bears could beef up their defensive line, add one of the highly-touted offensive tackles or trade back and add more draft capital.
But Daniel believes Odunze’s talent and fit separate him from the rest of the pack.
“He’s not the most athletic receiver in the draft, but he is the most physical and I think that’s the most exciting thing. When you can pair him with a DJ Moore and a Caleb Williams, in my opinion, the Chicago Bears could be a legit contender in the NFC North.”
Among the traits Daniel loves in Odunze’s game are his clean releases at the line of scrimmage, ability to make adjustments when the ball is in the air, explosive game speed and advanced route running.
People don’t stay up late to watch the Pac-12, so Odunze flew under the radar for much of the year, but he’s become one of the buzziest wide receivers in the class. He’s big, fast, reliable and one of the best deep threats in the nation. Few players can match his resume from 2023. Among WRs with 100 targets: 1,639 yards (1st), 74 first downs (1st), 21 contested catches (1st), 75% contested catch rate (1st), 15.5 yard average depth of target (2nd), 13 TDs (t-4th), 3.2% drop rate (6th).
Chicago Bears
Given the way Odunze’s stock has risen recently, there’s a chance he won’t be on the board at No. 9. That’s exactly what happened in our latest mock draft, which you can check out here.
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