Scouting Report: Rome Odunze (WR) - Washington
Sales Pitch: “Dominant perimeter WR with smooth movement skills for a player of his size. An elite jump ball artist that has the athletic ability to be a legit difference maker as a route runner.”
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 3”
Weight: 211 lbs
Arm Length: 32 1/4”
Hand Size: 9 1/4”
40 Yard Dash: 4.45
10 Yard Split: 1.52
Vertical: 39”
Broad Jump: 10’ 4”
Short Shuttle: 4.03
3-Cone: 6.88
Age: 21
Relative Athletic Score: 9.92 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 214 REC - 3,272 YDS - 15.3 YPR - 24 TD
2023: 92 REC - 1,640 YDS - 17.8 YPR - 13 TD
Strengths
Plus size and weight for an NFL WR, projects to be a true X
Good overall athlete with smooth movement skills for his size
Big moment player who was Washington's "get out of jail free card" late in games
Willing to take on contact in all three phases of his game
Longer strider with easy build up speed
Displays excellent play strength to play through physicality in his routes and at the catch point
Blends strength and movement skills with diverse stem package to get leverage on his routes
Deliberate route runner who creates separation for himself and spacing for teammates
Capable of winning with quickness or strength to separate at the top of his routes
Elite ball tracking and concentration skills on throws outside his frame
Upper echelon body control and dexterity down the field and towards the sideline
Jump ball artist with tremendous timing and aggression at the catch point
No nonsense runner with the ball that quickly gets upfield to space, has the strength to fight through initial tackle and fall for extra yards
Willing blocker that uses his size and length to drive DBs off the ball
Weaknesses
Lacks elite burst or quickness for the position
Does not have the extra gear to take the top of defenses or pull away in open field
Inconsistent hand usage and an upright frame leads to struggles vs Jam Press when DBs can match his physical gifts
Lack of burst and explosion hurts his ability to separate at the top of the route vs elite DBs
Limited YAC profile due to limited burst and quickness, will not elude multiple defenders in open field
Needs improvement settling down and sliding to space vs zone coverage
Summary
Rome Odunze might have been the best WR in all of college football in 2023, an impressive feet in a world where Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers and Luther Burden III exist. The Biletnikoff finalist led all of Power-5 football in yards with over 1,600, and was the best player on an elite Washington Huskies offense. Odunze has an NFL ready frame with plus size and weight for the position. A fluid mover at 6’ 3” he is a good athlete capable of creating separation at all three levels. Odunze took a big step forward in route running in 2023 showing a varied release package that relies on his athletic ability. A deliberate route runner, Odunze has a fantastic understand of leverage and spacing and uses it to create separation for both himself and his teammates. He is able to win at the top of his routes in a variety of ways depending on his opponent, his blend of size, speed and technique was difficult for any college DB to deal with. Odunze’s most marketable trait and his calling card, is his ability to win in contested catch scenarios. At 6’3” with elite ball tracking skills and body control he was one of the most difficult players to guard in 50/50 scenarios. A certified bucket getter late in games, Odunze was over 70% on contested catch throws and routinely was relied on late in games. Odunze was a consistently great player all year displaying high end mental toughness late in games and strong effort as a blocker and backside route runner. Despite being a good athlete for his size Odunze is not much of a YAC threat. He lacks the elite speed or burst to elude multiple defenders but he does have good vision and understands how to run to space, often using his large frame to fall for extra yards. While his route running has improved, he still needs to clean up some finer points before heading the NFL. Inconsistent punch timing versus press will become more of an issue when he is not always a superior athlete. He also needs to improve his ability to settle and slide to space versus zone coverage. Odunze is comfortably one of the Big-3 in the 2024 WR class. His blend of size, speed and route running is rare to find and should make him a lock for the Top-10. While he is far from a perfect player, WRs with his physical gifts and mental makeup don’t grow on trees.