Remember that film, “Any Given Sunday?” It made me want to be Al Pacino with a raggedy voice and an inspiration for what football is- that’s all it is. I’m seeing the 2024 Chicago Bears draft picks take a cue from him, clawing for those inches like life with strategic moves that speak to something more than just being good at football.
Of course, this isn’t “Any Given Sunday,” as the NFL 2024 draft just kicked off instead on Thursday, 4/25/2023. But it might as well be! The 2024 Chicago Bears draft picks started off with some bangers, inspired by strategic trades in the hope that we can have a promising season for the classic Super Bowl shufflers of old. What were those bangers?
Chicago Bears Banged it With USC QB Caleb Williams and Washington WR Rome Odunze
Here’s the thing: General Manager Ryan Poles wasn’t just giving us a 2024 Chicago Bears draft pick of a QB with 33 starts over three seasons at Oklahoma and USC. Or a WR with 30 starts in four seasons for the Huskies. He wasn’t just looking for the stats. Bear in mind that these boys do have the stats. Check ’em out:
- Caleb Williams – 66.9% pass completion, 9,782 yards, 93 touchdowns, 14 interceptions
- Rome Odunze – 214 catches, 3,272 yards, 24 touchdowns
Never mind, Williams is considered the top prospect among quarterbacks. And our 2024 Chicago Bears draft picks him. Never mind, Odunze was named AP First-Team All-American and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award with career highs of 92 receptions, 1,640 yards, and 13 touchdowns. And the 2024 Chicago Bears draft picks… Him!
What really gets Poles cooking is…
A Real Quarterback With a Love for the Game
As Al Pacino would say, the quarterback’s the top spot. The leader. The motivator. It’s the player who inspires, who loves, who makes teams believe. Isn’t that all that football is?
The proof is in the pudding, as the Bears got to know Williams inside and out. A team is no good unless it knows its own players from start to finish.
Working together is key for these 2024 Chicago Bears draft picks. Williams won a Heisman Trophy, a Maxwell Award, and a Walter Camp Award. But awards don’t win Super Bowls, much less get a team there. And while Poles engulfed hours upon hours of tape of Williams in action, the pro day workouts and Halas Hall visits made it clear to him how right Williams would be for the draft.
“When you talk to his teammates, they don’t ‘like’ him; they love him,” said Poles, stating how Williams’ leadership “brings people together” and that the franchise will “look for guys that can bring others around” like that. This goes beyond the gridiron. Building relationships, being mature about the game, no showboating: Poles was clear on how Williams is “all ball, wants to work, wants to get better, wants to win as a team.”
Keyword: team.
And Let’s Not Forget Versatility in a Wide Receiver
Arguably considered the third-best player in the draft, NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein spoke of a “team captain with good size and elite ball skills,” seeing that most receivers often “look to open separation windows with speed or route running.”
Odunze is on a whole new level, opening up new skill sets and dominating those key fundamentals without breaking a sweat. We’re talking about all ball skills, like:
- Positioning
- Body control
- Hand strength
- Timing and mid-air adjustments
This is ambitious for the 2024 Chicago Bears draft picks on a couple of fronts. One, we all know their running game. Amplifying the passing game? That’s a new frontier for these Bears. But in the past season, it’s been clear: the Chicago Bears, having two veteran WRs, Allen and DJ Moore, are the only team compiling a total of 2,400 receiving yards between those two.
With Allen finishing 11th in the league at 1,243 yards and Moore finishing sixth with a career-high of 1,364 yards, it’s evident that Odunze will excel and grow further in his game as the Windy City football team continues to pump up their wide receiving regimen.
Definitely Stands to Reason, Then: the 2024 Chicago Bears Draft Picks Are Right on Track
And here’s the good news: on any given Sunday, the 2024 Chicago Bears draft picks might not need an Al Pacino telling them that.
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