The Heisman and the Huskie: Recapping Chicago's Stellar Day One

The old saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” While that might be true, Rome Odunze just solidified Chicago’s offense in a day. After confirming hundreds of analysts' predictions by selecting Caleb Williams number one overall, Ryan Poles didn’t stop there. 

He stayed put at number nine and selected the wide receiver out of Washington, Rome Odunze. The beauty of it all for us Bears fans is it wasn’t Caleb's night. Nor Rome’s, or Ryan Poles. It was Chicago’s night. The irony that a draft held in Detroit turned out to be all about Chicago. 

A new lakefront stadium proposal, a highly touted quarterback prospect, and a blue chip wide receiver all in the matter of 36 hours. The Bears are starting to act like a competent franchise.

On a serious note, this was the most ideal scenario in my head for the Chicago Bears. You avoided mortgaging draft capital to trade up, and you stayed put to select a blue chip prospect with no need to trade back. 

Some will be concerned about not selecting a defensive lineman and investing in a position that already has two star playmakers in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. While it may look great on paper in year one, drafting Rome Odunze was a long term vision. 

Keenan Allen is turning 32 years old tomorrow, hasn’t played a full season since 2019, and has one year left on his contract. Imagine looking down the road to next offseason and Keenan Allen walks for more money elsewhere.

The Bears would be left with only Moore and would be grasping at options to replace Allen. Odunze becomes Chicago’s safety net while still being able to provide a strong year one impact. 

I don’t need to dive deep into what Williams and Odunze do well. If you haven’t already heard from every draft geek like myself about these two players, flip on Youtube and watch the tape. 

This night was about change. When Poles said “we're going to take the north and never give it back,” this is what he envisioned. Building through the draft, making smart free agency acquisitions, and retaining the team's best players. 

The next era of Chicago Bears football has officially arrived.