Rome Odunze (born June 3, 2002) is an American football wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies, where he was a consensus All-American and runner-up for the national championship in 2023. Odunze was selected by the Bears ninth overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
No. 15 – Chicago Bears | |
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Position: | Wide receiver |
Personal information | |
Born: | Orem, Utah, U.S. | June 3, 2002
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) |
College: | Washington (2020–2023) |
NFL draft: | 2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 |
Career history | |
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Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Odunze was born on June 3, 2002, in Orem, Utah, later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, when he was three.[1] He attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, where he was named the state's Gatorade Football Player of the Year as a senior in 2019 after recording 54 catches for 1,222 yards and 15 touchdowns.[2][3] For his career, he had 121 receptions for 2,699 yards and 31 touchdowns. Odunze committed to the University of Washington to play college football.[4][5]
As a true freshman at Washington in 2020, Odunze played in all four games and had six receptions for 72 yards. As a sophomore in 2021, he started seven of nine games, recording 41 receptions for 415 yards and four touchdowns.[6][7] He returned to Washington as a starter in 2022.[8]
As a junior in 2022, Odunze led the team in receiving yards with 1,145, the fifth-most in single-season history for Washington. He also led the Pac-12 in receiving yards and was second in receptions per game.[9]
On September 30, 2023, Odunze recovered an onside kick from University of Arizona kicker Tyler Loop and absorbed a hit from safety Dalton Johnson. He revealed later that season that he had suffered a broken rib and punctured lung on the play then played with these ailments during the season.[10] Odunze declared for the 2024 NFL draft following Washington's loss in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship.[11]
Season | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Kick returns | ||||||||||
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GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Ret | Yards | Avg | TD | |
2020 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 72 | 12.0 | 0 | 3 | -16 | -5.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
2021 | 9 | 7 | 41 | 415 | 10.1 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
2022 | 12 | 8 | 75 | 1,145 | 15.3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
2023 | 13 | 13 | 81 | 1,428 | 18.3 | 13 | 2 | 37 | 18.5 | 1 | 2 | 87 | 43.5 | 1 |
Career | 36 | 27 | 188 | 3,060 | 13.9 | 22 | 9 | 17 | 1.9 | 2 | 3 | 87 | 29.0 | 1 |
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) |
212 lb (96 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.45 s | 1.52 s | 2.57 s | 4.03 s | 6.88 s | 39.0 in (0.99 m) |
10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) | ||
All values from NFL Combine[12][13] |
Odunze was selected by the Chicago Bears with the ninth overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.[14]