UW’s Rome Odunze selected by the Bears at No. 9 in NFL draft

On April 27, 2017, John Ross was selected in the first round of the NFL draft. He was picked ninth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, becoming the third wide receiver in Washington program history to be taken in the first round. 

Now, the Huskies have a fourth. 

Wide receiver Rome Odunze was drafted by the Bears with the No. 9 pick Thursday, joining Ross, Reggie Williams and Dave Williams as first-round receivers from UW. The Las Vegas native was also the second Washington player selected in the 2024 NFL draft. 

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Odunze’s four-year tenure at Washington might’ve ended prematurely at various stages. He was a highly touted recruit out of Las Vegas preps powerhouse Bishop Gorman. His decision to choose the Huskies represented a massive win for then-wide receivers coach Junior Adams. 

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound wideout earned his first start against Stanford on Dec. 5, 2020, and finished his true freshman season with six catches and 72 yards in a COVID-impacted campaign. Odunze’s growth continued in 2021. He hauled in 41 catches for 415 yards and four touchdowns, despite coach Jimmy Lake’s offense emphasizing the run game. 

Lake was relieved as coach before the 2021 season ended, and Odunze entered the transfer portal. He eventually chose to stay at Washington under the new regime of Kalen DeBoer, but also lost Adams, who left for the same position at Oregon despite initially pledging to stay. 

Odunze’s 2022 season was a revelation. Under the tutelage of Adams’ successor JaMarcus Sheppard and paired with quarterback Michael Penix Junior, Odunze emerged as one of the top receivers in the country. 

He caught 75 passes for a conference-best 1,145 yards. Odunze joined Reggie Williams as the only UW wide receivers to register four-consecutive 100-yard receiving games on Oct. 15 against Arizona, making nine catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Odunze and fellow wide receiver Jalen McMillan became the first Washington teammates to each have 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the same campaign, a feat Odunze repeated in 2023 with Ja’Lynn Polk. 

If 2022 was Odunze’s breakout year, 2023 established him as one of the best receivers in college football. He led the country with 1,640 yards —- also a UW single-season record —- and was named a Biletnikoff Award finalist. He finished his career ranking second all-time in receiving yards in program history behind Reggie Williams. Odunze is tied for third in all-time receiving touchdowns with Dante Pettis, behind only Mario Bailey and Reggie Williams. 

As Washington’s bid for a perfect regular season continued, Odunze made big play after big play to keep the Huskies dream season alive. His touchdown catch with 1:38 remaining proved to be the game-winning score against Oregon on Oct. 14. His 33-yard touchdown against Utah on Nov. 11 was the only touchdown either team scored in the second half. 

Against Oregon State in the rain on Nov. 18, Odunze converted a first down to seal the game on a back-shoulder throw by Penix. He iced the Apple Cup a week later, taking a risky reverse on fourth-and-short 23 yards for a first down to keep Washington’s College Football Playoff hopes alive and end Washington State’s bid for bowl eligibility. 

Odunze’s efforts caught the eyes of NFL scouts, too. He quickly emerged as one of the top non-quarterback prospects in the 2023 draft, and performed well enough at the combine that he was able to sit out pro day. 

“This draft process, it’s been fun,” Odunze said March 28. “I mean it’s a long process, it’s something that takes a long time but to go up with it with my guys (McMillan and Polk), we’re all going through it. So it’s fun to be able to see us all go through the steps of it. Just enjoying it. 

“This is the moments we dreamed of being in, so to be able to go through it myself and then alongside all my teammates, it’s a blessing.”