CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears selected University of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with its first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
With the ninth overall pick, Odunze will join a retooled Bears team that took USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick and traded for wide receiver Keenan Allen in the offseason.
ESPN rated Odunze as the third-best wide receiver, behind Marvin Harrison Jr., and Malik Nabers, and the eighth-best prospect overall in this draft class.
Odunze, who spent four seasons with the Huskies, is coming off a career-best senior season in which he led the nation with 1,640 receiving yards and added 13 touchdowns for a team that made its way to the National Championship Game. The Huskies receiver improved upon his production in each of his seasons in college.
As quarterback Michael Penix Jr's primary target, the duo helped spearhead the nation's 13th-best scoring offense (36.0 points per game) in 2023.
ESPN's Steve Muench said Odunze has the skills to be a potent vertical deep threat in the NFL.
"He's a vertical threat who gets off the line, runs well and tracks deep balls well," Muench said in his draft scouting report. "Odunze is smooth transitioning upfield and is an instinctive open-field runner after the catch. His hand-eye coordination is excellent, and he looks natural plucking passes thrown outside of his frame. As a big target, Odunze has the catching radius to make contested grabs and is a tough matchup in the red zone. He changes speeds well at the top of routes and settles into pockets working against zone looks."
Odunze was the second of three Huskies selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft after quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was selected with the No. 8 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons.
Offensive lineman Troy Fautanu became the third Husky first-rounder after the Pittsburgh Steelers used its No. 20 overall pick to help protect newly acquired quarterback Russell Wilson.