Ohio State’s Exciting WR, Chris Olave, is the Next ______?

Combine Results

Strengths

• Route running is elite
• Elite Speed (4.39 40 time)
• Short Area Quickness and the ability to beat press man coverage
• Good but not great hands. He had a few catches I thought he should have made when there was contact at the catch point. He wasn’t credited with drops, I just thought he should have caught them.
• Gaining separation on his routes

Weaknesses

• Run-after-the catch leaves a little to be desrired
• Not great at contested catches, however, his separation was so good, there was a limited smaple size of contested catches in the film I watched
• Very slight in stature, which used to be a killer for draft stock, but now has become more normal in the NFL

NFL Player Comparison | Devonta Smith

You will see this comp made a lot as we approach the draft, but if the shoe fits… Like Smith, Olave is a tall sleander receiver that should step into a featured role in the NFL.

Summary

Olave is a big play waiting to happen everytime he touches the ball. His route-running ability often left him wide open, and his speed was evident on some of his big plays as guys often took bad angles, underestimating his speed. I had run-after-catch as a weakness because

I didn’t see a lot dynamic jukes or plays that he had to make guys miss, he just beat guys with his speed, which he could very well do the same thing in the NFL. He surprised me with his 4.39 speed at the combine. I knoew he was fast, I just didn’t know he was that fast, and when you combined that straight line speed with his short-area quicknees, Olave has all the tools to be an elite receiver at the next level.

It was difficult to get a true handle on his ability to catch 50/50 ball or jump balls as he was often so wide open, he didn’t need to. He did have a few highlight reel catches with the defender drapped all over him, but he also had a few catches I felt he should have been able to catch but didn’t, but I’m nit-picking at this point. Olave has quickly become one of my favorite receivers in this draft class, and at the time of this publication I had him as my WR4 behind only Garrett Wilson, Treylon Burks and Drake London.

2022 Dynasty Rookie Draft Projection | Mid First round Pick, and could be higher with a good landing spot

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