‘He thrives on those moments.’ Get to know Bears rookie WR Rome Odunze.
CHICAGO — For 52 minutes after making quarterback Caleb Williams the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles waited.
He waited with eagerness. He waited with anxiety. He waited for the opportunity to make his grandest draft dream come true. Specifically, Poles waited for Rome Odunze, the talented, intelligent and enthusiastic wide receiver from Washington.
Poles had a vision of pairing Odunze with Williams as catalysts to the Bears’ championship pursuit. He felt strongly that Odunze was the most complete receiver in the draft and the second-best prospect overall — behind Williams. But Poles had no guarantees Odunze would be on the board when the Bears picked for the second time in the first round at No. 9.
He grew most tense when the New York Giants went on the clock at No. 6 but breathed a huge sigh of relief when they grabbed LSU’s Malik Nabers as their preferred receiver. At 8:13 p.m., Poles’ window of opportunity opened. He picked Odunze and gave Bears fans an opening to imagine what a new-look passing attack might become for years to come.
JaMarcus Shephard understands why Poles and the Bears were so excited to unite with Odunze. Having served as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Washington for Odunze’s final two college seasons, Shephard is well aware of Odunze’s big-play
