The Chicago Bears had an ideal outcome for the 1st round of the 2024 NFL draft. It involved two steps: draft Caleb Williams at #1 overall and then snag Rome Odunze with their #9 pick. For months, GM Ryan Poles and his front office had become infatuated with the Washington wide receiver. They felt he had the talent, work ethic, and character to make for an NFL star. Pairing him with Williams just made too much sense. The problem was there was no shortage of teams in the 1st round that needed wide receiver help.
Probably the biggest hurdle was the New York Giants at #6. Everybody knew they were looking at receivers. Their options would be Odunze or Malik Nabers of LSU since Marvin Harrison Jr. would go to Arizona at #4. Thankfully, the Giants preferred Nabers. It looked like Chicago had good odds of landing Odunze from there. However, it was almost a completely different story, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic. He revealed in a recent article that multiple teams were trying to trade up to land the star receiver.
And among the planning ahead, it was clear well in advance for any team the Los Angeles Chargers would be shedding cap. The Bears made the hardest run at Allen. Then in the draft, while Odunze was heavily linked to the Bears at No. 9, there was still a chance he could have gone a pick or two earlier as teams behind the Bears jockeyed to trade up.
Landing Rome Odunze can be credited to two teams.
They are the Tennessee Titans and the Atlanta Falcons. Their unwillingness to trade down from their respective spots in front of the Bears (#7 and #8) is why the receiver fell to Chicago. The Titans were desperate for offensive line help and didn’t want to risk losing out on the best offensive tackle. They went with JC Latham from Alabama. The Falcons had fallen in love with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., feeling he’d make an excellent long-term option once the Kirk Cousins run ends.
Those decisions enabled Rome Odunze to meet his fate of pairing with Williams. As for the teams that tried to jump the Bears, one can only speculate. The New York Jets (#10) really liked him. The Las Vegas Raiders went with Georgia tight end Brock Bowers at #13, so they were clearly searching for help in the passing game. Jacksonville eventually traded back and took other LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Maybe they had hoped to make a splash.
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Whatever the case, the Bears got some great fortune during that sequence in April.
