2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Chris Olave is an elite route runner coming out of Ohio State. Olave’s route running and ability to scramble on broken-down plays makes him a quarterback’s dream. As a sure-handed receiver, he would be a great addition to any team and possess late first-round talent.
Chris Olave Profile
Chris Olave Combine/Pro Day Stats
Chris Olave Scouting Report
Chris Olave was a 3-star wide receiver coming out of high school before signing with Ohio State and making an immediate impact as a True Freshman. In just his second year, he was the team’s leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, which earned him 3rd Team All-Big Ten honors. It was the same story in his third year as well; he was once again the team’s receiving yards and receiving touchdown leader, but this time he earned 1st Team All-Big Ten honors.
I've seen Chris Olave compared to Keenan Allen. I do not see it. Different styles and athletic profiles. In my opinion, I see more DeVonta Smith.
Their ability to sell every vertical release to free up space for underneath breaking routes is legit.
In Olave’s final year as a Buckeye, he put together a solid year where he ended with 13 receiving touchdowns, which was T-6 in the entire FBS, and set a school record at the same time. Chris ended up being awarded the Associated Press 2nd Team All-American honors and 1st Team All-Big Ten honors as well.
Strengths
Chris Olave is a technically-gifted wide receiver with smooth and natural route-running skills. His route running is one of the best in his draft class. The 21-year-old receiver possesses the quickness out of the break to create separation from defenders. His physical control allows him to make sharp cuts in his route running and allows him the ability to throttle down and catch quick passes.
He has the speed and finesse to run by corners on vertical routes and make big plays that way. He has the ability to put himself in the right position to make a play on the ball and has the patience to wait for the right time to snag the ball out of the air to catch the defender off guard. He also has great ball tracking skills and the ability to adjust his speed mid-route in order to do so. He is sure-handed and has a 4.9% career drop rate in college.
On broken-down plays, Olave makes himself an easy target for his quarterbacks by scrambling in the direction that the quarterback scrambles. Despite his young age, he possesses maturity for his age and took responsibility for an interception thrown by Justin Fields, who lost Ohio State the Fiesta Bowl Game, by saying it was his own fault for slipping down the route. He made an impact for the Buckeyes on special teams playing as a gunner on punts and as an edge rusher on punt return; Chris has had 2 punt blocks at Ohio State.
Weaknesses
Chris Olave decided to stay at Ohio State for another year to improve his draft stock but ended up getting surpassed by Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in terms of targets and receiving yards. Although he is sure-handed, he does not possess the hand strength to consistently win 50-50 jump-ball situations. He is also not much of a threat as a ball carrier and has had only 10 career broken tackles on 176 receptions. He possesses a smaller frame and below-average strength which is concerning when facing stronger corners and disappointing for his support in the run game.
Trait Based Projection
Chris Olave is deliberate in his route running, possesses good speed, and can be trusted with good catches in complicated situations as well. He will most likely assume a wideout position in the NFL and thrive where he has open space. Olave will be a good option on vertical routes and short quick passes. He also makes himself a reliable target for quarterbacks when plays break down. He is not the most versatile wide receiver in the draft but will be a solid secondary option for any NFL team.
Analytics Corner
Olave comes in at #3 in Football Outsiders/ESPN’s “Playmaker Score”. If you are not familiar, the Playmaker Score is a Football Outsiders original metric that uses regression within particular statistical attributes and calibrates them appropriately to correlate to longterm NFL Success.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Olave’s resume includes some interesting stat splits. One of the most predictive stats that translates from college to the NFL is how often a WR runs a deep route. This is reflected in the “Deep Route %”, where Olave ran a “deep route” 42 percent of the time, or 10th most among draftable WRs.
However, Chris Olave doesn’t appear to have much “YAC” (yards after catch) ability, given that he only averaged .05 Broken AND Missed Tackles per Reception. That number placed Olave 43rd among draftable WRs. You can see a similar trend in Olave’s Yards After Catch per Reception, which laid at 4.2 yards or 37th among his draftable peers.
This doesn’t bode well given the mini-shift in the offensive scheme we have seen in the league (especially with the 49ers and Rams), targeting WRs that can make things happen with the football in the middle part of the field after the catch.
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