Continuing on with our bye week evaluations of the Chicago Bears' rookie class, after assessing how Caleb Williams has adjusted to the NFL, we have now come to the 9th overall pick of the draft: wide receiver Rome Odunze.
When this selection was made, some people thought it was a luxury pick. The Bears already had DJ Moore and Cole Kmet and just traded for six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen. Was another pass catcher really what they needed when there were some excellent prospects at other positions of need still on the board?
Did Ryan Poles get tunnel vision?
Looking at the stats, there might be some validity to this argument. Through six games, Odunze has just 17 receptions for 246 yards and one touchdown. That puts him on pace for 48 catches, 697 yards, and three touchdowns. By way of comparison, Brian Thomas Jr., selected by the Jaguars 14 spots after Odunze, is on pace for 71 catches, 1,201 yards, and nine touchdowns.
And what about players at other positions? Taliese Fuaga, the offensive tackle selected 14th overall by the New Orleans Saints, is off to a fine start. He's allowed just one sack in six games and has a respectable 67.6 grade from Pro Football Focus. Having a guy like Fuaga could help alleviate some of the troubles that Chicago's offensive line has experienced.
However, by all accounts, GM Ryan Poles was never really interested in either of these players. He was dead-set on Rome Odunze at 9th overall.
A larger scope is needed when evaluating Odunze's rookie year.
I won't argue that Thomas Jr. has had a better rookie year so far than Odunze or that other players like Fuaga aren't well on their way to productive careers. What's missing from these simple arguments is each team's strategy for their rookies. The Jaguars selected Thomas Jr. to replace the production they lost when Calvin Ridley joined the Titans, and that's precisely what he's done. They lost their WR1, so they drafted a rookie to be their new WR1.
Likewise, Fuaga was drafted to be New Orleans' starting left tackle, and he has become that through six games.
On the other hand, Chicago did not using its own first-round selection with the intent of finding an immediate starter. As aforementioned, it already had two guys who've spent their entire careers in the NFL as the WR1. The Bears likely did not expect Odunze to light up the stat sheet as a rookie with such a talented crew around him, and certainly not in his first six games.
Odunze was drafted with the long-term picture in mind. Moore recently signed a well-deserved extension, but that now makes him an older and expensive receiver. Allen is 32 and on an expiring contract; he may yet return in 2025, but it seems likely he was a one-year rental for Poles. That's where Odunze comes in. Assuming Allen does hit free agency this spring, Odunze will have spent his rookie season under the tutelage of a potential Hall of Famer and without the crushing expectations of carrying the offense on his back and will go into his second season prepared to take on a larger role.
This was a good, big-picture selection by Poles. Odunze has already shown flashes of his elite potential, even finishing Week 3 as the top receiver for that game when he notched 6 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. He may not finish anywhere near the top for Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, but careers are not defined by one season.
