When the Chicago Bears selected wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, it represented one of the rare times that the Bears not only made the right selection but the obvious one.
With it being known since the Senior Bowl in January that the Bears were going to take Caleb Williams with the first overall selection, the intrigue for the Bears was at No. 9.
While a trade-back is often the move that the Bears would opt for, especially under Poles, such a move was never considered this year.
Poles joined Pat McAfee on Wednesday and confirmed with Odunze on the board, the decision was no-brainer.
"Rome Odunze was at the top of our list and there's certain guys you don't pass on..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 1, 2024
He's one of them and there was never a thought of moving" ~ Ryan Poles #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/yNmxVruyi2
The Chicago Bears were locked on Rome Odunze during the 2024 NFL Draft.
It was last Thursday night when Poles revealed that Ian Cunningham had to convince the Bears' general manager not to trade up in order to ensure that they were able to select Odunze. Thanks to the Atlanta Falcons and their baffling decision to take quarterback Michael Penix Jr., that left Odunze on the board with the Bears on the clock.
For as much as Bears fans want to keep pointing out the failures that the Bears have had in developing past quarterbacks such as Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields, Poles' actions prove that he is truly ushering in a new era for the Bears.
The fact that the Bears always had their sights set on Odunze with the ninth overall selection proves that Poles is going to leave no stone unturned as he looks to ensure that Williams is in a position to succeed as the starting quarterback of the Bears. If you want to live in the past and continue to be upset with how Fields' development was handled, that is fine but the Bears are not going to wait for you to get over your hurt feelings.