After a very inconsistent first season Rome Odunze is looking forward to a big coaching upgrade.
The good news has started early for Odunze in his second season with Bears Wide Receivers Coach/Assistant Head Coach Antwaan Randle-El stating that he had Odunze as his number 1 WR from last years’ loaded class.
With the arrival of newly appointed head coach Ben Johnson this offseason, he has brought over a lot of coaches with him from the Detroit Lions particularly on the offensive side of the ball. This hopefully signals a massive uptick in production for Caleb Williams and the entire offence. Johnson was the OC of one of the most productive offences in the league the last 3 seasons and Randle-El has been the WRs Coach during that tenure too.
Combine the glowing praise from his coach and the departure of Keenan Allen this offseason. If Odunze wasn’t a screaming buy low before he is now. The question is how will this offence look in 2025? With the Bears likely to upgrade their run game in the draft and they have already spend a lot on massively upgrading their Offensive Line they look on paper to be building a team to replicate the high powered offence of the Lions.
All that could equal a massive year 2 for Rome.
Author: Scott Riley
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is "extremely ...
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze didn't have the ...
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze capitalized on his ...
With head coach Ben Johnson coming into the fold for Caleb Williams sophomore season, the Bears only have 2 players being drafted within the top-100.
Best ball drafts are in full force on UnderDog. Average draft position has been reset with last year’s bargains rising to the top of drafts and new values needing to be mined. Mix in the rookie class and there is a new equation to solve to take down best ball tournaments.
When viewed from a whole team lens, the Chicago Bears jump out as an easy team to stack on UnderDog. D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze are the only 2 Bears in the top-100. The market likes D.J. Moore in round 3 and the second year ascension of Rome Odunze at the 4-5 turn.
The beauty of selecting one or both of D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze early is that drafters can build a solid foundation at positions outside of quarterback before selecting Caleb Williams in round 9. In securing the two Bears wideouts there is less likelihood in draft rooms that someone will snipe Williams. Finishing as QB-17 in 2024, the signal in the best ball market is bullish as he is currently being drafted as the QB-12.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachreztlaff1)
Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower shared that Rome Odunze is in contention to be their primary punt returner in 2024.
Let the overreactions begin. It wasn’t all that long ago people were ready to give up on Justin Jefferson before his rookie year began because he was reported to be the wide receiver 3 for the Vikings behind Bisi Johnson. While Odunze has a much tougher depth chart to climb with D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen in the same Receiving room, Hightower’s comments about Odunze potentially contributing on special teams shouldn’t be seen as any sort of indictment to what he can do on offense.
Odunze brings tremendous collegiate production and prototype size and athleticism to the NFL. Fantasy Managers in Dynasty formats should try and target Odunze as a trade target from any owners who have reservations about Odunze’s role for the Bears in 2024. Odunze still warrants a selection in all fantasy formats and if anything, this news should only make his stock rise in leagues that award scoring for return yards (SFB14.)
University of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze was taken by the Chicago Bears with the 9th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Ryan Poles is buildin sumpin. The Chicago Bears GM may have just yanked the franchise out of the NFL’s cellar with some savvy team management. Staring down the barrel at an overhyped and outclassed QB in Justin Fields, Poles traded the Georgia product to Pittsburgh and, through pick trading with Carolina and some unfortunate play on the field, went into the 2024 Draft with the 1st and 9th picks. Poles then walked out of the first round with Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze.
Adding Odunze, aka “Romo Doomsday”, to the receiving corps that includes DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, D’Andre Swift, and Roschon Johnson, Poles seems to have built an offensive juggernaut. Odunze may be the jewel in the crown, though.
Odunze is what’s known in the biz as a “stud.” The problematic allusion to equine husbandry aside, Odunze is the Alpha WR1 one would create in Madden. At 6’3″ and 212lbs, Odunze has the length and physicality to compete against smaller DBs and speed to burn. He’s an excellent ball-tracker and is hard to handle at the catch point, making him a downfield threat. Odunze is very savvy in every aspect of the wide receiver game showing elite skills as a route-runner, knows how to use his body for positioning and leverage, and baits DBs with smooth changes of pace. Working in the Huskies prolific offense, Odunze finished 2023 with 1640 receiving yards.
Odunze has generally been considered to be the WR3 of the 2024 rookie class. It may be more accurate to group the top 3 of Odunze, Malik Nabers, and Marvin Harrison Jr. as 1a, 1b, and 1c. Odunze, like his classmates, will demand immediate production. He enters the Bears WR room as the most talented of them all, if the least experienced. In 1QB dynasty leagues, there’s no reason for him to last beyond the 1.05 of rookie drafts. If any owner prefers him to MHJ or Nabers, I wouldn’t argue with them. In superflex, he’s still a top 10 pick. He will be a great value in redraft and best ball leagues, as well, even if he’s targeted in the WR10-20 range.
Rome Odunze had a phenomenal Senior season, and demonstrated his physical prowess during NFL combine athletic testing.
Rome Odunze was measured just under 6’3″ and weighed in at 212 lbs. He demonstrated fantastic speed for his size, running a 4.45 40-yard dash.
Based on his measurements and testing, he’s earned a 9.69 RAS score, highlighted by a 39″ vertical that is in the 92nd percentile for the position. He also looked noticeably comfortable and maintained a high mph during the gauntlet drill.
Fantasy Managers can officially get excited about Odunze being an early first round pick in NFL and Fantasy drafts.
Standout WR Rome Odunze is leaving the Washington Huskies and has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Standout WR Rome Odunze is leaving the Washington Huskies and has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Odunze had a great 2023 season for the Huskies catching 93 passes for 13 touchdowns, but more impressive, Odunze had 1,640 receiving yards which led the nation.
Odunze is a lock to be a first round pick, and some analysts have Odunze as a top 10 draft pick in this already stacked draft class. Odunze is a great prospect who will garner a lot of attention from NFL teams because of his great mix of size, speed, hands, and the ability to make contested catches downfield. Odunze should be the 3rd wide receiver drafted off the board this year, only behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers.
