Chicago Bears Select Washington WR Rome Odunze With No. 9 Overall Pick - Inside The Huskies Skip to main content
Rome Odunze on Draft Process
Rome Odunze on Draft Process

Chicago Bears Select Washington WR Rome Odunze With No. 9 Overall Pick

Ex-Husky receiver is headed to the Windy City to team up with a former Pac-12 quarterback.
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Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies

Rome Odunze became the second Washington Husky drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday, going No. 9 overall to the Chicago Bears. 

Odunze, a 2023 First-Team All-Pac-12 selection, is the highest UW wide receiver taken since John Ross went No. 9 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 NFL Draft. 

Both players tie Reggie Williams, who was selected No. 9 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In his four seasons at UW, Odunze finished second all-time in school history totaling 3,272 receiving yards, 24 touchdown passes and 214 receptions in 40 career games. 

Odunze will pair with DJ Moore, who led the team with 1,364 receiving yards in 2023, to help No. 1 overall pick and former USC quarterback Caleb Williams revive a Bears offense that has struggled to click in recent years. 

A former four-star recruit out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, Odunze had the chance to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft but elected to return to UW to chase a National Championship in 2024. 

His decision paid off as the Huskies nearly achieved their team goal going 14-1 overall and earning the first Pac-12 Championship since 2018, before losing 34-13 to Michigan in the 2024 National Championship in Houston, Texas.