Getty Former Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze is visiting with the Bears on Thursday, April 4.
The Chicago Bears have a superstar duo in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen leading their receiver room for the 2024 season, but that has not stopped them from scouting the top receivers in the NFL draft as candidates for their No. 9 pick.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears are hosting Washington’s Rome Odunze for a Top 30 visit on Thursday, April 4, as they continue a busy week of pre-draft evaluation at Halas Hall.
“Washington WR Rome Odunze, a likely Top 10 pick and one of the Draft’s best WRs, visited the #Jets today, source said, and he has the #Bears tomorrow,” Rapoport wrote on X on Wednesday. “He’s already spent time with the #Giants, as well.”
Odunze is not only of the draft’s top three receivers with a visit on the books with the Bears. Rapoport also reported that LSU’s Malik Nabers will have a Top 30 visit on Wednesday, April 11, offering another indication that the Bears are serious about the possibility of drafting a wide receiver with their second first-round pick.
The Bears are widely expected to use the No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback in this year’s draft, likely USC’s Caleb Williams — who visited Chicago on Wednesday, April 3. The bigger mystery is what they will do with the No. 9 selection with wide receiver, edge rusher and offensive tackle considered the most dire needs on their 2024 roster.
The Bears still have three weeks to figure out their priorities for the first night of the draft, but the fact that both Odunze and Nabers have taken visits to Chicago in recent weeks suggests general manager Ryan Poles is open to drafting one in the first round.
Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers Can Elevate Bears Offense
The Bears have compelling reasons to consider drafting a first-round receiver in 2024, even after trading a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for Allen.
Chicago now has a dynamic 1-2 punch in Moore and Allen, but 2023 fourth-round pick Tyler Scott (17 career receptions) and Velus Jones Jr. (11 career receptions) are the next-best receivers in the rotation with even less accomplished depth behind them. That puts the Bears just one unfortunate injury away from a big potential problem.
Allen is also entering the final year of his contract and, without a new deal from the Bears, will become an unrestricted free agent at age 31 during the 2025 offseason. Poles expressed interest in possibly signing Allen to an extension “down the road,” but he also said he likes to be “intentional” with the order he does extensions, meaning Allen may be farther down on the priority list than, say, Teven Jenkins, a 2025 free agent.
A premium talent such as Odunze or Nabers helps limit the risk for the Bears. Odunze is a route-running tactician with excellent size who wins off the line of scrimmage and is not afraid to fight for contested balls in traffic. Meanwhile, Nabers has explosive speed that creates instant separation and gracefully tracks the ball at every part of the field, adding a touch of physicality that makes him an elite after-the-catch runner.
Both could elevate the Bears offense on Day 1 — if either is still available at No. 9.
Bears Also Eyeing Non-Receivers for No. 9 Selection
The Bears are doing their homework on the top receivers in the draft, but they have also held official visits with a few non-receivers who could be in play for their No. 9 pick.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the Bears hosted Alabama’s Dallas Turner for his Top 30 visit to Halas Hall on April 3 along with Williams. Turner is currently the heavy favorite to be the first defensive player drafted in 2024 and could potentially be the highest-rated non-quarterback on the Bears’ board considering their needs at edge.
The Bears have a long-term defensive end starter in Montez Sweat and added veteran Jacob Martin (18 sacks in 91 games) to the roster in 2024 free agency, giving them more depth alongside returning contributor DeMarcus Walker. Turner could be the missing piece, though, as a long and explosive pass rusher who finished with 10 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in his final season for the Crimson Tide.
The Bears have also met with the following first-round prospects: Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, Duke do-it-all offensive lineman Graham Barton and Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson.