Rome Odunze immersed himself in the Bears’ playbook like a fringe wide receiver trying desperately to make their roster.
His approach has been reminiscent of Darnell Mooney as a rookie, when he shot up the depth chart by the season opener because of how quickly and thoroughly he proved he’d be in the right spot at the right time. Odunze, though, combined that mindset with the elite talent of a first-round pick, and that’s an explosive combination.
“He’s one of those guys that works to learn everything we ask him to do,” wide receivers coach Chris Beatty said. “You see him meticulously taking notes. He’s going to be overprepared.
“It’s a little bit different because he writes everything down. It’s almost like every meeting is a class. I’ve got a lot of people that take notes, but not to the extent that he does, and that stuff pays off.”
It translated to the field last week against the Colts as Odunze broke through for his best game as a pro with six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, doing all that while still feeling the effect of a sprained knee. Only five Bears in the last 40 years have put up 100 yards as a rookie.
Odunze led the country in yards receiving at Washington last season and was the No. 9 overall pick — the Bears’ first wide receiver picked in the top 10 since Kevin White in 2015 — but had the advantage of beginning his career in the towering shadows of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and established receivers Keenan Allen and DJ Moore.
The prevailing thought was that Allen and Moore could give Odunze plenty of cover while he found his footing, and the Bears might not ask much of him until his second season. That was nonsense.
Williams will be best off with all three of them thriving Sunday against the Rams with Allen expected to return after missing the last two games with an injury. The Rams have allowed the sixth-most yards passing and second-highest passer rating, and if all three Bears receivers are good to go, that’s challenging to cover for a defense that’s already having trouble.
It was huge validation for Odunze to see all his offseason work materialize into a 100-yard game. Bears coaches mentioned shortly after the draft what a quick learner he was, and Odunze spent his summer free time practicing routes in the blazing heat of his hometown, Las Vegas, as his mom shouted the play calls. He’s only gotten sharper since, and helps that he’s constantly watching technicians in Allen and Moore.
“I love preparing during the week,” Odunze said. “Finally seeing those things come to fruition when it comes to game time reassures you that the work you’re putting in and the things that you’re doing are going to provide success on Sundays.”
He showed versatility against the Colts, lining up in the slot and out wide. He made catches over the middle in tight spaces, and used his speed to break away for separation downfield. He had spatial awareness heading toward the sidelines and found seams in the secondary in the center of the field.
He looked a lot like Moore, really. He looked polished.
“The game is slowing down for him, and he’s out there just playing free now,” Moore said.
It’s early for that, but the Bears’ offense badly needs some positive trends. Teams draft wide receivers in the top 10 expecting them to be immediate contributors and eventual superstars, and seeing a spark of both from Odunze gives them a lot of hope at a time when it can be hard to find.