Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is coming into his rookie season looking to make an immediate impact in the NFL.
The ninth overall pick, who will grow alongside No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, has some lofty individual goals — win Offensive Rookie of the Year and break records.
In fact, Odunze is looking to one-up his former University of Washington teammate Puka Nacua, who caught 105 passes for 1,486 yards — both rookie records — last season with the Los Angeles Rams.
“That rookie season record, I’m absolutely chasing that,” Odunze said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “Of course, [I’m] chasing those records and that’s important. I’ll hopefully leave the Bears organization better than I found it. If I have my name on some of those records, that’s just one facet of doing so.”
While there’s no denying Odunze should be a favorite target of Williams’ this season, it could be difficult for him to break those figures given he’s part of a receiving trio also featuring veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, who will also be popular targets.
But Moore and Allen also figure to be the main focus for opposing defenses, who will ultimately have to pick their poison between Chicago’s top three wideouts — and Odunze could be the beneficiary.
Earlier this offseason, Moore said it would be a race to 1,000 yards between the three receivers. Could Odunze hit the mark first?
