Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze has a chance to emerge as a true WR1 in 2025, especially if this predicted improvement occurs.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze wasn't supposed to have the middling season he experienced as a rookie in 2024. The ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft ended his first season with just 734 and three touchdowns, numbers that hardly represent a WR1 in the pros.

But that could change in 2025, especially if the latest prediction from ESPN's Mike Clay comes to fruition.

Clay, one of ESPN's top fantasy football experts, predicts that Odunze will more than double his touchdown output in Year 2.

"Of the 11 players who handled 13-plus end zone targets last season, Odunze (who had exactly 13) was the only one with fewer than five TDs," Clay wrote. "The 2024 No. 9 overall pick was on the field a ton as a rookie (eighth among WRs in routes), but uneven QB play limited his efficiency (nine of the 13 end zone targets weren't catchable and his 37% overall off-target rate was second highest among WRs). A second-year improvement from Caleb Williams would go a long way for Odunze."

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Rome Odunze is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Ben Johnson's revamped system in 2025, especially now that he isn't competing with veteran Keenan Allen for targets. Indeed, rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III will create some obstacles, but Odunze's budding relationship with Williams should lead to more looks than any other pass catcher on the team.

"I'm extremely impressed," Johnson said of Odunze this offseason. "To be a second-year guy, you would expect a little bit more inconsistency. And yet, the way he approaches the meeting room, the walk-throughs, the on-field, the drill work, it's very much like a seasoned pro, some of the best that I've been around. He's still learning. I know there's a lot of information that's is getting thrown his way. Coach Randle El and Picazo, they're doing jobs with him right now. I think we're going to see a lot of growth from him, not just in the springtime, but once we get to camp."