The excitement around the Chicago Bears' 2024 first-round picks, Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, was out of control last offseason. Expectations for instant success were overly ambitious, and while both delivered solid rookie seasons, neither will enter 2025 with the same level of hype.
That’s a positive for a Bears team adjusting to new head coach Ben Johnson. Expectations are still high, but with Williams being outshined by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Odunze trailing behind fellow 2024 rookie receivers like Malik Nabers (Giants) and Brian Thomas (Jaguars), the focus is on steady, incremental growth.
However, it’s important to remember how highly both players were regarded as prospects. Williams was labeled a generational quarterback, and Odunze was in contention to be the first pass-catcher taken last April. Bears GM Ryan Poles had to be restrained from trading up for him, and multiple reports suggested Odunze was the team’s second-highest-rated prospect in 2024.
Simply put, Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze's NFL outlook remains astronomically high, even if a recent ranking of every team's offensive building blocks has the Chicago Bears barely cracking the top 20.
Literally... barely. Chicago ranks 20th.
"Caleb Williams had an uneven rookie season with peaks and valleys, though he did enough to show he can be a franchise player on the pro level, throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions and rushing for 489 yards," wrote Bleacher Report's Mo Moton.
"Chicago selected Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick in last year's draft," Moton continued. "So, he gets a mention as a building-block player even though his 54 receptions for 734 yards and three touchdowns aren't numbers that jump off the screen."
DJ Moore was factored into the Bears' ranking as well, with a suggestion he could return to Pro Bowl form if Keenan Allen departs via free agency.
What dragged down the Chicago Bears' ranking was the running back position, as D’Andre Swift wasn’t viewed as a true building block. It’s a fair assessment after a debut season in Chicago that fell short of expectations.
In case you're wondering, the Commanders ranked only two spots ahead of the Bears despite having Daniels, last season's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Perhaps this ranking would've caused a bit more rage if Washington was somehow viewed as a team with top-10 (or higher) offensive building blocks solely because of Daniels.
It’s still a bit disappointing that the trio of Williams, Odunze, and Moore is barely ranked among the NFL's top 20 offensive building blocks, especially given all the excitement surrounding them last offseason.
