Chicago Bears select Washington WR Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick. Grade: A

This could not have gone much better for the Bears. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron might be the happiest man on Earth now that he has Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze to design around. Odunze has all the alpha traits you want in a No. 1 receiver, and those traits are transferable to the NFL immediately. 

A four-star recruit from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Rome Odunze chose Washington after a dalliance with Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley, and he succeeded through three different head coaches (Chris Peterson, Jimmy Lake, Kalen DeBoer). He redshirted in the COVID-shortened season of 2020, fought through injuries in 2021, and then went viral with 75 catches on 110 targets for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns.

Odunze then upped the ante in 2023 with 92 passes on 140 targets last season for 1,639 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a deep target, Odunze caught 23 of 49 passes of 20 or more air yards for 783 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Odunze feasted on go, seam, post, and hitch routes, but there really isn’t any route he can’t run.

PLUSES

— Contested-catch monster who seems to welcome converging defensive backs and close-in situations.

— Arm-tackling him is an exercise in futility; you’d better wrap him up after the catch.

— “Drifts” really well on posts and fades and has late hands to give him an advantage if the CB isn’t playing the ball.

— Outstanding end zone target who can subtly re-distribute defenders to keep him open in short areas.

— Finds the voids in coverage, and then he wants to beat people up to stay open.

MINUSES

— Doesn’t have third-level breakaway speed, but go tell him it’s a problem.

— Speed off the snap is generated more by route concepts than pure vertical ability.

— Effort and intent as a blocker, but the technique is a bit iffy.

Odunze has every attribute you want at the position except for downfield accelerant speed, and as much else as he brings to the field, that shouldn’t be an issue.

Story originally appeared on Touchdown Wire