Rome Odunze scouting report: Exploring the Washington WR's strengths and weaknesses
Romeo Odunze, Washington
6’3”, 210 pounds; RS JR
A four-star recruit in 2020, Odunze appeared in just a couple of games as a true freshman, before flashing his skills as part of the WR rotation for the Huskies in year two (41-415-four).
However, with the arrival of transfer QB Michael Penix Jr. in 2022, Odunze’s numbers really took off, touching the ball 78 times for 1,151 yards and eight TDs, making him a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. This past season he ascended to superstar status, leading the country with 1,640 yards on 92 catches and scoring 14 total touchdowns, making him a first-team All-American.
Releases & route-running:
+ Highly efficient route-runner, who doesn’t waste much time stuttering his feet or taking longer paths to get to where he ultimately needs to be
+ Smooth mover who can elude the jam at the line and put DBs in trail position early on, without ever giving it up again
+ Yet he also possesses enough play strength to not allow himself to get thrown off a whole lot when someone doesn’t connect with his chest and he’ll rip through that
+ Was an elite vertical threat in 2023, leading the country in catches of 20+ yards (23 – on 49 targets) and yards off those (783)
+ Understands how to attack the blind-spots of defenders and selling them take-offs to get them turned the wrong way as a route-runner
+ Capable of making safeties look silly when he ends up isolated with them down the field and he gets them spun around with a little rocker-step or drift before the break
+ Can really drop his hips and explode off the inside foot out to the sideline on pivot routes
+ Showcases the suddenness to elude ancillary zone defenders or guys' leverage to where he needs to go
Ball-tracking, positioning & catching:
+ Makes sure to stay friendly for the quarterback by staying flat or even slightly working back towards that guy when going over the middle of the field
+ Can really snatch those balls off the top shelf and grab it over his head without losing speed on some crossing route
+ Even at awkward arrival angles of the ball, Odunze can turn his neck, star straight up if necessary and look it into his hands
+ Great body-control and awareness for the sideline, smoothly flipping his body around as the ball is placed away from corners playing way off
+ Adjusts well to underthrown deep balls or back-shoulder placement and forces defenders to go over his back
+ Has definitely improved his ability to position himself for the ball hanging up in the air a little bit and you saw Washington actually target him on goal-line fades
+ Took the old adage of making 50-50 balls into 75-25 ones literally, as he hauled in 21 of 28 contested catch opportunities in 2023
Run after catch & blocking:
+ Makes it hard for defenders to find him working behind blockers in space on tunnel screens
+ Has a knack for turning his shoulders away for defenders reaching out for him
+ When he does have his ankles clipped, Odunze does a good job of kicking his heels up and has the balance to stay alive as a runner
+ After turning 60 of his 75 catches into either a first down or touchdown, Odunze was even more efficient with a larger workload this past season, as only five of his 92 grabs didn’t move the chains or put points on the board
+ Does a nice job of selling the release off the line and gaining proper positioning as a blocker in the process
+ Yet he can pull the safety out of the run fit when tasked with slot fades for example
Weaknesses:
– Lacks the long speed to break phase down the field and be able to catch uncontested passes
– For as amazing as he was attacking the ball through contact last season, he had only hauled in five of 22 contested targets (22.7%) over his two prior years as a starter with the Huskies, mistiming how he high-pointed the ball
– Averaged just 4.6 and 5.6 yards after the catch respectively these last two seasons, as somebody who more so just tries to run away from guys other than actually making people miss and you don’t ever really see him shake/shrug off tacklers
– Way too often allows defenders to run through him when his teammates are catching screen passes, being tentative with his punch
In many other years, Odunze would be the top wide receiver on the board. He’s a smooth operator with a flair for the dramatic when the ball is in the air. He can elude contact at the line of scrimmage but also fight through it, he’s efficient with not taking excess steps at the break point thanks to the flexibility and then he has an elite combination of body-control and ball-skills.
I don’t think he quite has that extra gear to detach vertically when defenders are in phase with him and he’s not a game-breaker after the catch necessarily, but that’s more so about the style of player he is.
Meanwhile there are no real weaknesses to his game and I think he can be a legit number one outside receiver for a long time in the NFL, who still wins frequently in a vertical capacity just because of how hell he gets into those routes, to some degree thanks to how well he sells double-moves.
I do believe the two names ahead of him are in their own tier, but I’d be fine with Rome going any time once those two are off the board.
Grade: Top 10