Chris Olave: The Forgotten Buckeye in Devy Leagues
“Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity,
“To seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment,
“Would you capture it, or just let it slip?”
-Marshall Mathers
A three-star prospect coming out of Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California, wide receiver Chris Olave was ruled ineligible for his junior year and had zero scholarship offers heading into his senior season. In fact, how he ended up at Ohio State was by complete happenstance.
Then offensive coordinator (now head coach) Ryan Day was at Mission Hills scouting quarterback Jack Tuttle when Olave caught his eye. After learning more about his story, the Buckeye coaching staff was impressed by the wide receiver’s work ethic and dedication to his team that junior season despite being ineligible to play.
Entering the regular-season finale against archrival Michigan, Olave’s inaugural campaign at Ohio State was prototypical for a true freshman. Buried on a wide receiver depth chart behind Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, KJ Hill, Johnnie Dixon, Binjimen Victor, and Austin Mack; the first-year wideout’s contributions were mostly limited to special teams with minimal offensive opportunities (five catches for 70 yards).
A season-ending injury to Mack opened the door for 18-year-old Olave as the tenth-ranked Buckeyes were all that stood between Michigan and the Big Ten Championship game.
What did Olave do with his chance…?
Scoring the first two touchdowns of the game was impressive enough, but the punt block was even more special as it changed the momentum in the entire game. Capitalizing on the special teams touchdown, the Buckeyes handed the Wolverines their seventh straight loss in the historic rivalry while ruining the day for Jim Harbaugh. More importantly, Olave introduced himself to both Buckeye Nation and the college football universe.
2019 Season
The Buckeye freshman followed up his coming-out party against the maize and blue with a great performance against Northwestern (5-79-1) in the 2018 Big Ten Championship game. Heading into 2019, the sky was the limit for Olave as Campbell, McLaurin, and Dixon all departed Columbus for the NFL.
The sophomore did not disappoint this past season, hauling in 48 receptions for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns leading the team in the latter two categories. Olave became the go-to receiver for transfer quarterback Justin Fields, whether it was to stretch the field or gain a crucial first down. From an analytical perspective, he had a 23.2% market share, 18.1% of the team’s receptions, and 22.2% of their fantasy points (thanks to Scott Connor for those statistics).
Making the leap from freshman backbencher to leading receiver in one year is no small feat in a football factory like Columbus. What does Olave have in store for his junior collegiate season? How do his current skills translate to the next level? What parts of his game need improvement? I take a look at some of the tape from last season to answer these questions and more.
Strengths
Route Running
Smooth. Disciplined. Precise. Natural. Organic.
These and many more adjectives were used by college football pundits last fall to describe the Buckeye receiver’s route running prowess. His ability to win the first step in man coverage might be his most impressive trait. Former Ohio State wide receiver Evan Spencer (8:40) breaks down how Olave uses his left foot to carry him upfield on a post route for a critical fourth-down touchdown in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
This double move is nastyyyyy! Pressure from Micah Parsons forces this ball to be late and thus incomplete but you don't see many dudes drop a stutter-go this fluid. Olave put CB19 in the blender. pic.twitter.com/jUYqjmK9Uk
— Kyle Crabbs (@GrindingTheTape) June 7, 2020
It’s shown time and time again where Olave simply cannot be covered, as shown in his ability to beat both man and zone coverage equally. This stop-and-go route leaves the Penn State defender dazed and confused. Only a late, underthrown ball keeps this from being a touchdown.
In a third-down, goal-to-go situation (1:42), this lethal first step creates the necessary room to play an “easy” game of pitch and catch with his quarterback against tight man coverage. There are many instances on film where Olave recognizes zone coverage and sits down in the perfect spot to create a throwing window. Let’s be clear, this ability to run clean, effective routes is not a trait most 19-year-old college wide receivers have in their arsenal. This will not go unnoticed by NFL general managers come April.
Ball Skills/Deep Threat
#AnotherOne Olave high-points this one for an excellent finish at the catch point. pic.twitter.com/qZqeUsnRJb
— Kyle Crabbs (@GrindingTheTape) June 7, 2020
Olave knows how to use a 4.49-second 40-yard dash time to his advantage and constantly gets behind defenders to make big plays. In the above video, he has his man beat but adjusts to an underthrown ball, high points the football, and makes a contested catch at a crucial moment in the game. Once again, those are all requirements to not only play, but thrive on Sundays.
Let’s be clear about one issue… Just because most of the Olave highlights we see are of him scoring long touchdowns does not mean he is a one-trick pony. I’ve heard comparisons in devy circles to former Ohio State deep-threat Devin Smith. This couldn’t be further off base. With all due respect to Smith, he simply did not have the skill in running short and intermediate routes as Olave.
Works Open for his Quarterback
His ability to break-off his route and get open when his quarterback gets out of the pocket is coveted at the next level. In an early-season matchup against Cincinnati (1:00) and later in the Big Ten Championship game (11:12), Olave gets himself space for a scrambling Fields to deliver him the football for big gains.
Weaknesses
Run Blocking
While Olave is great at disguising run plays by using his route-running ability to take a cornerback out of an inside running play, his one-on-one blocking needs improvement. When forced to go one-on-one with a defender, we see him appear tentative and struggle at times. A complete whiff on his blocking assignment on a bubble screen pass (3:55) allows the defender to blow up the play.
https://youtu.be/KZMyOqNdZHY
After engaging with the defender (5:37), he lets up and gets beat allowing his man to make the tackle. Look for Olave to put in work this off-season to improve this facet of his game.
Making Defenders Miss
In my opinion, what keeps Olave in a tier below wide receivers like Rondale Moore and Jaylen Waddle is his inability to break tackles in space against top-tier opponents. He takes a reverse (3:50) against the Badgers and has an open field up the sideline but is unable to make a move and beat the defender. Despite the ability to use his speed effectively in deep routes, Olave is unable to make a play in a crowd and many times just falls down after catching the ball. That’s fine if you simply want to be a possession receiver, but he has the potential for so much more.
Devy Value
In the most current DLF Devy ADP, the Buckeye is the 29th player and 16th receiver off the board; that’s nine spots behind more heralded teammate Garrett Wilson who isn’t draft-eligible until 2022. The Olave disrespect continues in the DLF Devy rankings as we find him listed as WR23 and the 43rd player overall.
Future Outlook
On the final play of Ohio State’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson, Olave broke off his post route because he thought Fields was scrambling. Unfortunately, his quarterback threw the ball to where he thought his wide receiver would be leading to an interception. One mistake overshadows neither a game nor season of elite production. Olave was hearing none of this as head coach Ryan Day says the receiver was unable to eat solid food for three or four days after the playoff semifinal loss. Day went on to say…
“…nobody cares more than Chris and I know he’s going to come back even more hungry. …I think to your point he’s going to be a leader in that room.”
Imagine the drive of a football player who goes from scholarship afterthought, seventh on the wide receiver depth chart to WR1… Now give him nine months of extra motivation. Buckeye wide receiver coach Brian Hartline will sharpen the rough edges of his leading receiver’s game and take it to the next level. Choose Olave at his current devy discount and smile like a Cheshire cat next May when he’s a first-round rookie pick.
Olave is a young man who, time and time again, when presented with his one shot, one opportunity… always captures it. Next up: the 2020 season.
- Dynasty Fantasy Football: Targets Acquired - December 8, 2023
- Dynasty Fantasy Football: Targets Acquired - November 17, 2023
- Dynasty Fantasy Football: Targets Acquired - October 13, 2023
