Older Chicago Bears fans are familiar with the team’s history regarding wide receivers. Outside of a select few gems over the years, it has been a long, torturous stretch of disappointment. This is one of the few organizations in the league that hasn’t put one in the Hall of Fame—their all-time leader in receiving yards retired when George Halas was still coaching. Plenty of attempts were made to find that superstar player. Willie Gault had speed but not much else. David Terrell was too inconsistent. Curtis Conway and Kevin White struggled with staying healthy. Imagine going from that long string of okay-to-bad and suddenly landing the next Larry Fitzgerald.
That is what former scout and top draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes happened. He spoke to Waddle & Silvy about the torrid start Rome Odunze is on. The Bears receiver has five touchdowns in four games, along with 296 yards. He’s on pace to put up numbers few players ever have for this franchise. The current record for single-season touchdown receptions is 13. Odunze is on pace for 21. Jeremiah admitted that he hasn’t seen a more complete receiver come out of college since Fitzgerald in 2004.
Odunze can carry the load like Larry Fitzgerald did.
What made the future Hall of Fame so difficult to deal with was that he had every tool in the toolbox: size, speed, hands, and route-running prowess. The only thing you can hold against Odunze at this stage is his inconsistent hands, and even that is improving. It got to a point where Larry Fitzgerald was so good that he almost single-handedly carried the Arizona Cardinals on their two deepest playoff runs in franchise history. He ranks second all-time in receiving yards behind only Jerry Rice, and did that without the benefit of playing the majority of his career with Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
It is apparent Odunze has significant chemistry with Caleb Williams. As that connection grows, the big plays will keep coming. If Jeremiah is correct, the landscape of the Bears’ offense is about to change for the next decade.
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