Getty USC quarterback and presumptive No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.
The Chicago Bears continue to be coy about their draft plans, but the big picture is becoming clearer as the first round approaches on Thursday night, April 25.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network posted to social media Tuesday that prospective No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams of USC recently threw to multiple Bears wide receivers during a practice session. And while that is intriguing, it wasn’t the bombshell of Pelissero’s report.
Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze didn’t just take the same flight to Detroit for the draft: I’m told Odunze recently caught balls from Williams … who also was throwing with #Bears WRs Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore.
Chicago owns the Nos. 1 and 9 picks, and hosted Odunze on a visit.
“Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze didn’t just take the same flight to Detroit for the draft: I’m told Odunze recently caught balls from Williams … who also was throwing with #Bears WRs Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore,” Pelissero wrote. “Chicago owns the Nos. 1 and 9 picks and hosted Odunze on a visit.”
Rome Odunze, Caleb Williams Pairing Represents Chance at Dynamic Offense for Bears
GettyFormer Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.
The news sparked reaction from Bears fans and writers, including Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron.
“OH MY GOD THIS MIGHT BE HAPPENING,” Infante wrote on X over a repost of Pelissero’s report.
The excitement makes sense when considering the prospect of creating a dynamic QB-WR duo with both players in their early 20s and projected to have long and successful NFL careers. Toss in that if the Bears draft Williams first overall, which is the widespread belief among analysts nationwide, he will also throw to Allen, Moore and tight end Cole Kmet.
In other words, if Williams is the player advertised, Chicago could field a dangerously potent offense as early as next season.
Of course, for the Odunze-Williams pairing to become a reality, the receiver will have to fall far enough in the draft for the Bears to select him — presumably all the way to the 9th spot, unless Chicago is willing to trade up.
There are reasonable scenarios in which Odunze falls to the Bears, the simplest being that a team currently picking outside of the top 10 — like the Minnesota Vikings (No. 11) or the Denver Broncos (No. 12) — trades into a top-five spot and removes a receiver-needy squad from that section of the draft order.
The Arizona Cardinals (No. 4) and the Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5) number among such teams. Should one of them trade behind Chicago, and should the other organizations looking for a wideout favor Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State and/or Malik Nabers of LSU more than Odunze, then the Bears could end up in a position to select him.
Several NFL Draft Dominoes Must Fall Right for Bears to Land Rome Odunze With No. 9 Pick
GettyWide receiver Rome Odunze of Washington.
That is the scenario that Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates of ESPN laid out in their most recent joint mock draft on April 15, in which the Bears select Williams No. 1 overall, the Vikings trade up with the Chargers to No. 5 and Chicago drafts Odunze with the 9th pick.
“This is a no-brainer pick,” Kiper wrote of the Bears selecting the USC quarterback first overall. “Williams is the best quarterback in this class, and the Bears need a franchise passer to build around.”
Yates has the Cardinals selecting Harrison fourth and the Giants going with Nabers sixth, leaving Odunze for the Bears.
“I love this fit with Williams, though I thought about an offensive lineman or edge rusher, too,” Kiper wrote of Chicago drafting the Washington wideout. “Odunze could be a star. This is how Chicago can set up Williams to succeed as a rookie.”
The three things that could derail a pairing of Williams and Odunze are Chicago deciding to draft an offensive tackle or an edge rusher, either at No. 9 or via a trade back to pick up an asset, another team liking Odunze enough to select him ahead of the 9th spot, or a team like the New York Giants trading up with a franchise like the Cardinals from No. 6 to No. 4 and keeping a third receiver-needy franchise ahead of the Bears in the draft order.
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Caleb Williams Throws to Elite Prospect, Sparks Speculation on Bears’ 9th Pick