Rookie receiver Rome Odunze is making a strong first impression on Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — By nature, football coaches are typically reluctant to single out the performance of an individual player from practice.

But Bears head coach Matt Eberflus on Thursday was willing to point toward one particular standout from the offseason program.

“I would say Rome (Odunze),” Eberflus said after the team concluded veteran minicamp. “Rome really impressed us in terms of his ability to grab concepts and really execute out there for sure. But again, there’s a lot of guys that impressed us.”

The No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Odunze is set to be a key figure in the Bears' offense. He'll line up alongside returning No. 1 receiver DJ Moore and six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen, whom the Bears acquired from the Chargers in a trade in March.

Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, has already struck up a strong rapport with Odunze. In veteran minicamp this week, the rest of the Bears’ offense got a sense of Odunze’s abilities.

“Rome looks great,” Allen said. “He's a guy who stepped in, he's been with the ones right off the bat and running around pretty good. His routes, he knows what he's doing, his responsibilities, and that's huge. First coming in, we haven't even got to training camp and he already kind of knows where to go, where to line up, where to be at. So that's huge.”

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Odunze hauled in 92 receptions for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for the University of Washington last season. In joining Allen and Moore, Odunze is lining up alongside the NFL's lone tandem to each surpass 1,200 receiving yards in the 2023 season.

In early April, several weeks before the NFL Draft began, Odunze and Williams held a private workout with Allen and Moore in Los Angeles.

Odunze made an impression on Allen and Moore that day.

“When I first seen him, I was like, ‘He can move,’” Moore said. “And I didn’t know he was that fast until I saw him in person and how smooth he was. I’m just looking forward to him being out there.”

The Bears considered the possibility of trading up from No. 9 in the NFL Draft to select Odunze, who was potentially in play after the No. 4 pick. But general manager Ryan Poles followed the guidance of others in the Bears' draft room and trusted that Odunze would fall to Chicago’s slot, and he did.

Bears rookies are required to remain at Halas Hall next week for an extension of OTAs for first-year players, while veterans were permitted to leave following minicamp Thursday.

The Bears will report for training camp July 19 at Halas Hall, with rookies arriving three days earlier.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .