A lot of the focus for the Chicago Bears this offseason has been on the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and rightfully so. The landscape of the league will change depending on what they opt to do with that selection.
If they keep the first pick and use it on a quarterback, their current starter, Justin Fields, will likely be traded. If the Bears retain Fields and trade away the selection, another franchise is going to get a crack at their franchise quarterback and Chicago will be overflowing with assets acquired.
Regardless of what general manager Ryan Poles decides to do, a trade will be made one way or the other. But, the No. 1 pick isn’t the only selection that he has to worry about in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
NFL News & Rumors: Rome Odunze, 2024 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears Updates
The top pick is courtesy of the Carolina Panthers from a trade last year. The Bears also own their selection, No. 9 overall. Who could they look to target at that spot? In his recent mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. believes Chicago will look to add a playmaker, selecting Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.
“Chicago likely will take a hard look at the edge rushers in this class to try to find a starter to play on the other side of Montez Sweat, who finished the season with 12.5 total sacks (six for Chicago) after being acquired from Washington. Turner could have been a fit, and I also thought about Laiatu Latu (UCLA), who is the best pure pass-rusher in this class. But with the Bears’ second top-10 pick, I want to slot in a playmaker for the new quarterback I gave them at No. 1.
Odunze had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Huskies in 2023. He played out wide and inside — 30 of his catches came from lining up in the slot — and ran every route in the receiving tree. This would be tremendous value for Odunze, who is No. 5 overall on my board. He could be the 1B to DJ Moore, who had a great first season in Chicago. And with Williams throwing them the ball, the Bears’ offense would be extremely dynamic,” wrote Kiper.
The Bears finished the 2023 season much stronger than they started it, but there are numerous holes on this roster. As Kiper pointed out, edge rushers will be under serious consideration to find a partner to pair with Montez Sweat.
But, just as importantly, Chicago needs to find some more weapons in the passing game to take pressure off of D.J. Moore. Moore, acquired from the Panthers in last year’s blockbuster trade, had a career season in 2023. But, the production at the wide receiver spot behind him was lacking.
NFL News & Rumors: Rome Odunze, 2024 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears Updates
Moore had 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. The next closest wide receiver in those stats was Darnell Mooney, who had 31 receptions for 414 yards and one touchdown.
Moore and tight end Cole Kmet were the only players with multiple touchdown receptions this past season. That is something Odunze would help change immediately as the No. 2 wide receiver.
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