It took several massive strokes of NFL fate for the Bears to land in the position they found themselves to start Thursday night, holding the No. 1 overall pick and a lottery ticket to draft USC star quarterback Caleb Williams.
The football gods have smiled on general manager Ryan Poles’ rebuild over the past year, but that good fortune didn’t stop when the Bears turned in the card with Williams’ name on it to start the 2024 draft.
The Bears have coveted Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze since early in the draft process. Odunze’s name was at the top of their board alongside Williams, and they hoped they’d find a way to pair the young quarterback and wide receiver together.
That was going to take some good fortune, with the Arizona Cardinals (No. 4), New York Giants (No. 6), the Tennessee Titans (No. 7), and the Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) all potentially in the market to draft one of the top three receivers.
That fortune arrived when the Titans selected offensive tackle JC Latham, and the Falcons stunned everyone by drafting quarterback Michael Penix at No. 8, which allowed Odunze to fall into the Bears’ lap at No. 9.
Or perhaps all they needed was their potentially transcendent new quarterback to manifest a pairing he desperately wanted.
Read more here from NBC Sports.
