Chicago Bears fans were excited about wide receiver Rome Odunze in 2024. How could they not be? The ninth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft was lauded by some Draft experts as the best receiver in the class. But after a ho-hum first year in the league, Odunze's stock appeared to cool quickly.
That is, until the flurry of 2025 breakout candidates articles started making their rounds in recent weeks.
Odunze is a hot name among industry analysts who believe he's on the launching pad for superstardom now that Ben Johnson is calling the shots, and the plays, for the Bears.
Take, for example, the recent breakdown of every team's breakout candidate by The Athletic. Odunze was the easy choice for Chicago.
"It’s cliché to choose the second-year, top-10 pick. But Odunze’s rookie season seemed more disappointing than it actually was," Kevin Fishbain wrote. "He was fifth among rookies in receiving yards (734) and caught only 53.5 percent of passes thrown his way. However, Odunze served as an example of the inconsistency that plagued the 2024 Bears offense. If Odunze didn’t meet outside expectations, it’s not because he was dropping passes or running poor routes. With a better scheme and improved quarterback play, he should take off in Year 2."
Fishbain raises a critically important point. Odunze's play wasn't the reason why he failed to reach 1,000 yards or 10 touchdowns. Instead, it was the horrendous supporting cast around him: the coaching staff, the offensive line that couldn't protect Caleb Williams, and, at times, Williams' inaccurate throws.
As the 2025 NFL season approaches, all of that should change. Odunze is one year wiser, has added some muscle during the offseason, and continues to build on his already strong chemistry with Williams. It should all add up to a legitimate breakout season that pushes his name back near or at the top of the impressive cluster of wideouts who were selected in last year's Draft.
Remember: Rome Odunze was compared to Larry Fitzgerald as an NFL Draft prospect, and Fitzgerald's rookie season ended with just 780 receiving yards. His second year? Yep, he exploded for 1,409 yards.
While a 1,400-yard season is a tall order considering the presence of DJ Moore, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden also demanding targets, it isn't completely out of the realm of possibility.
And that's further proof of how exciting this Chicago Bears' offense really can be in 2025.
