Chicago Bears are thinking big after drafting QB Caleb Williams, WR Rome Odunze

The Caleb Williams era is underway in Chicago and Rome Odunze is there, too. Fair to say, the NFL draft went just about the way the Bears hoped.

Chicago kicked it off by taking Williams with the No. 1 overall pick and gave the Southern California star another target eight spots later by drafting Odunze on Thursday night. With a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and an All-America receiver from Washington, it wasn't hard to see why general manager Ryan Poles was excited.

[ NFL Rookie of the Year odds: Caleb Williams opens as favorite ]

"To have the opportunities that we did this year, for everything to go what I think is in a really good direction, it's really big for our football team," Poles said Saturday. "I think we made huge strides forward. There's work to be done, but this is an impact draft for this organization, for sure."

The Bears added an offensive lineman in the third round when they took Yale's Kiran Amegadjie with the 75th pick on Friday and selected Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth at No. 122 on Saturday. They traded into the fifth round, acquiring the 144th pick from Buffalo for a 2025 fourth-rounder, and selected Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker.

Thinking big

Poles has overhauled the roster in two years and now has the Bears looking like playoff contenders after going 10-24 with him and coach Matt Eberflus in charge. There's a buzz in Chicago and it's not just because of the prized rookies.

The Bears boast a potential top-tier defense led by edge rusher Montez Sweat and cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and their offense has a chance to become the backbone of the franchise for the first time in decades. They traded with the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen, giving them another