The Chicago Bears appear to have selected two long-term contributors with their first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. No. 1 pick Caleb Williams is looking more like a franchise quarterback by the day, and No. 9 pick Rome Odunze has made some big plays.
After a sluggish start exacerbated by poor coordinating from the since-fired Shane Waldron, Williams has since stepped on the gas. Those who are interesting in grading rookie classes seem to be tepidly excited about what Chicago has done this year,
Bleacher Report gave Odunze, who tallied 41 catches for 543 yards and one touchdown to this point, a B grade on their 2024 NFL Draft report card. Williams, who has 14 touchdown passes against just five interceptions this season, was also handed a B. The confusing part is fellow rookie starters Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix have all earned A grades so far.
Either some of the other rookies need to be brought down a peg to be on par with Williams, or his grade needs to be increased to be on par with them. While it hasn't always been pretty, the totality of Williams' season has been fairly impressive.
Caleb Williams earns B grade in 2024 NFL Draft Report Card
Maye and Daniels have both earned their top grades. Maye is putting up solid numbers in a wretched offense with minimal surrounding talent, while Daniels appears to be the frontrunner for offensive rookie of the year. Giving Nix a much higher grade than Williams when he has a Hall of Fame coach and his stats are almost identical is a problem.
If the Bears don't hire Thomas Brown as head coach, Williams will have already been shuffled through four offensive coordinators after his rookie season. The interior of his offensive line remains a mess, and the Keenan Allen addition isn't looking as impactful as the team would have hoped.
Despite all of that, Williams has set an NFL record for most consecutive passes by a rookie without an interception. The arm talent and playmaking Bears fans salivated over has all shown up on film, and Williams has led multiple late scoring drives that should have, by all rights, giving his team two more wins.
Williams has shown enough to convince Bears fans he will be a quality quarterback in the future, and there have been enough splash plays from Odunze to get fans excited. Even if he hasn't set the world on fire, putting him below his fellow rookies seems a bit harsh.