“The Chicago Bears select Caleb Williams. Quarterback, Southern California.”
Those boos you heard were most likely from Detroit Lions fans in attendance who are seeing their window of prosperity start to close now that there is a new sheriff in town calling the shots in Chicago.
I’d have a nice, fat Italian beef sandwich (sweet and hot, dipped — duh!) if I had a dollar for every time I answered a question about how I felt about last night’s Bears draft. Perhaps I’d have enough for two. Maybe I could add a fry onto it. The vibes around the Bears are better now than they have been in quite some time. They made two draft picks on Thursday night that were good. These weren’t head-scratching picks. They made sense. The Bears really got two top-5 players in this draft class without having to mortgage the future. Sensational!
Caleb Williams now a member of the Chicago Bears. So is Rome Odunze. I think we watched these two become fast friends in real-time last night, so that was pretty cool.
Do you want some Rome Odunze highlights? Here ya go. A Caleb Williams sizzle reel? We’ve got you covered here.
This might be the wildest NFL Draft comp you’ll ever see:
In the Dragon Ball Z x #NFLDraft Project, Caleb Williams is Super Saiyan 3 Goku. Both rare and do things their way whether you like it or not. Both want to face the best, but approach fighting differently than most. It takes a lot of energy to be them but their game is polished. pic.twitter.com/zbooukotvb— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 25, 2024
I know RGIII has had some less-than-savory things to say about the Bears and Caleb Williams in the pre-draft process. But there is no denying the cool factor here. At a minimum, this is the most unique draft analysis of a prospect you’ll get. I’m all for it. More, please!
The Chicago Bears’ new pairing of USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze unfolded in a series of scenes over the last month resembling a football teammate meet-cute.
The move script goes like this: Odunze, a longtime fan of Bears great Devin Hester, secures a predraft training session with Williams, the franchise’s next great hope at quarterback.
The two, who played against each other in college, meet again on their flight to Detroit for the NFL draft, snap a photo together and post it on social media. They see each other on the elevator a few times around the draft. Then, on the night the Bears draft Williams with the first pick, Odunze serendipitously falls to No. 9, at which the Bears hold another pick.
Rome Odunze saying the Bears were his childhood favorite team and that Devin Hester was his favorite player gave me all the warm feels:
We, the people, need a Rome Odunze-Devin Hester meet-up at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in August like it’s nobody’s business. The Bears need to make Rome’s childhood dreams come true and link him up with his favorite player.
Caleb Williams is going back to his high school number and wearing No. 18 now that he is with the Bears. With Jaylon Johnson set to wear No. 1, it leaves Rome Odunze in search of a new number at the pro level. I’d like to take this moment and recommend No. 4. Last worn by Eddie Jackson (2022-23), Bears die-hards might recall No. 4 was Devin Hester’s college number when he was at Miami. What better way to recognize your fave than by wearing his college number? Just a thought.
There were some angsty times this offseason with Bears fans and I wasn’t sure how folks would react to the Caleb Williams pick. But it sure seems like everyone is on board now. Moving forward with this fanbase will be easier with everyone pulling on the same end of the rope.
Now that the Caleb Williams pick is in, an updated look at the return on the Bears-Panthers trade tree: WR DJ Moore, RT Darnell Wright, CB Tyrique Stevenson, QB Caleb Williams, Pick No. 122 in the fourth round, and Carolina’s 2025 second-round pick. All that so the Carolina Panthers could draft Bryce Young.
I’m not ready to build Ryan Poles a statue just yet. But maybe someone should start rounding up some estimates if they have free time on their hands.
WOW. They really had a Caleb Williams hologram at the Bears draft party:
I hope the wonders of modern technology never cease to amaze me.
Oof. I could write another thousand+ words of Bullets but then I’d be here all day. I’m just going to try and sprinkle stuff in while I can and hope I get to everything I’ve saved and bookmarked that I wanted to share.
The Atlanta Falcons pick still befuddles me. I’m thankful it happened. The Falcons could’ve easily shopped that pick to a team that wanted to move up for a receiver. Or they could have used it for themselves to take Rome Odunze. That would’ve stung the most. Maybe this was one last gift from Ryan Pace. Maybe *puts on tin-foil hat* Atlanta knows that Kirk Cousins will be suspended as part of the tampering punishment and drafting Michael Penix Jr. will keep them afloat. I know that doesn’t even make sense, but the Falcons drafting Penix in the first place doesn’t make sense either.
On the one hand, the Minnesota Vikings drafted their franchise quarterback and the top edge defender prospect in this class without giving up a future first-round pick. But on the other hand, the Vikings gave up pick Nos. 11, 42, 129, 157, 167, 188 in the 2024 NFL Draft as well as second, third, and fourth round selections in 2025 to get J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner. When you put it that way, it looks like a steep price to pay.
The Green Bay Packers drafted Jordan Morgan, a University of Arizona offensive lineman who is not to be confused with 2017 Bears draft pick Jordan Morgan. I just wanted to make that point of clarification while it was on my mind.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Lions drafted Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold after seeing the Bears load up with Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze this offseason.
I can’t believe we did an impromptu 4-hour NFL Draft live reaction show:
It can be challenging to be a Chicago sports fan when you’re not in Chicago. So I’m sending the following as one Bears fan trying to bring others together. A friend of mine out in Philadelphia is trying to bring together Bears fans out east with Bear Down Philly, Philadelphia’s only Bears game day watch party group. There will be more. But this feels like a nice place to start. You can follow along on Instagram or Facebook.
Welcome to the Chicago Sports Renaissance!— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) April 26, 2024
The Bears weren’t the only Chicago sports team making waves yesterday, as the Chicago Blackhawks reportedly signed Alex Classic to a six-year extension. (BN Blackhawks)
WOW! Joel Embiid is reportedly suffering from Bell’s Palsy and still dropped a 50-burger in a playoff game on Thursday night. (BN Bulls)
Chicago Cubs rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong notched his first big-league hit on Thursday — it turned out to be a game-winning home run against the Houston Astros:
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
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NEWSLETTER
