The NFL Draft will begin on April 25, 2024. Today, we take a look at one of the top wide receiver prospects, Rome Odunze.
Make sure to check out all of our other NFL Draft scouting reports.
Rome Odunze committed to the Washington Huskies out of Bishop Gorman High School, a powerhouse program in Las Vegas, Nev. He was a four-star prospect and the second-ranked player in Nevada for the Class of 2020. He received unanimous First-Team All-America votes for 2023, was a 2023 Biletnikoff Award finalist, and was a First-Team All-PAC-12 player. Odunze cemented himself in Washington history this year, becoming the second receiver in school history to record two 1,000-yard receiving seasons. In total, he started 28 games for the Huskies, amassing 209 catches, 3,185 yards, and 24 touchdowns.
Rome Odunze, Wide Receiver, Washington
Name: Rome Odunze
Jersey: No. 3
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Washington
Class: Senior
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 215 lbs.
Strengths
Rome was a candidate to declare for the draft in 2022 but ultimately returned for his senior season at Washington, which proved to be a massive boost for his stock. The Las Vegas native has every club in his bag: size, speed, hands, physicality, route running, agility, and separation. Odunze can do everything at a very high level. He has the ability to play and win across the formation, tight end, in the slot, and out wide without a problem. Out of the numerous strengths he has, the biggest would be his hands and contested catch ability. The ball sticks to his hands like Lester Hayes. Odunze is also a monster in contested catch situations. He can win going up for the ball or making the catch in a way that the defender can’t adjust to.
Weaknesses
Choosing a weakness for Odunze’s game was truly difficult. You could say his frame, but he’s still 215 pounds and hasn’t had injury problems during his time at Washington. To be nitpicky, we would like to see more refinement in his route running. At Washington, he was asked to run a lot of deep over routes or verticals versus a lot of slants, digs, or out routes that require you to create separation. He’s able to separate, but it will be interesting to see where he lands and what he will be asked to do at the next level.
Pro Comparison: Justin Jefferson
With their route running style and lengthy frames, Odunze reminds me a lot of Justin Jefferson as a prospect. This isn’t to say that Odunze will ascend to what Jefferson is right now, although that’s certainly in his range of outcomes. It’s a body and play style comparison more than anything. A team will look to use him in almost the exact same role as Jefferson is being used in Minnesota.
Draft Projection: Early First Round (Top-10 Pick)
This is a very talented draft class, and Odunze is one of the players that exemplifies this. He easily would have been the WR1 in last year’s class if he had this same sort of production. A lot of teams could use Odunze’s skill set, and it’s not far-fetched to think he will go in the top 10. Teams like the Jets, Falcons, and Bears would love to have a prospect as talented as Odunze on their team.
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