2024 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Rome Odunze, WR Washington
With the college football season over, and the NFL playoffs commencing, our attention now shifts to draft season.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to start studying and getting familiar with this class – in particular the wide receivers. It is an extremely, extremely deep class. I was discussing it with some other draft die-hards this week – I haven’t seen a wide receiver class this loaded in years. It’s possible it could run three to four rounds deep come April with multiple starters being found.
One of the best of them all will be covered in this edition of the Rookie Early Look series – Washington Huskies wide receiver, Rome Odunze.
Let’s take a look at his exciting profile.
Recruitment
Odunze was ranked as a four-star recruit by 247 Sports in the class of 2020. A native of Las Vegas, Odunze attended Bishop Gorman High School, a powerhouse program in Nevada.
He was the 22nd-ranked wide receiver nationally and number two in the state. The class itself was one of the more notable recruiting classes, producing several future NFL players. The top three ranked in order: Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Kayshon Boutte. Others such as Jalin Hyatt, Quentin Johnston, and Josh Downs all ranked above Odunze and were all selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The irony of it all is that Odunze may be the best out of all of them. He received 33 total offers, committing to the Huskies and enrolled in June, 2020.
Courtesy of 247 Sports.
Collegiate Career
Courtesy of Sports Reference.
Odunze used a redshirt year as a freshman in 2020 for the Huskies. His role grew the following year in 2021 as a redshirt freshman, and then had his breakout year in 2022, taking a gigantic leap by catching 75 receptions for over 1,000 yards. Odunze capped off his career with a 92-1,640-13 stat line and was one of the true difference-makers in college football every time he stepped on the field. Odunze was also selected as a Biletnikoff finalist although came up short in the voting losing out to Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr.
Strengths
- A three-level threat who can stretch the field
- Route precision and nuance to win against man coverage
- Fluid in change of direction w/ hip sink to decelerate/break at top of routes
- Tracks deep ball exceptionally well and uses his 6 ft 3 frame to stack defenders
- Flashed catch and run skills and versatility is underrated as an all-around perimeter receiver
Weaknesses
- Lacks long, burner speed. Not an explosive catch-and-run threat
- Could be labeled as having a limited route tree, as he ran mostly vertical routes
- Route tree was not very expansive due to other talent around him
Draft Value
Image from Mock Draft Database.
Even at the very early stages of draft season, it feels like a formality at this point that Odunze goes on day one.
Odunze is a projected first-round pick come April, with nearly 81% of mock drafts mocking him there. I will not argue this positioning. His talent backs up the valuation and he is a top-three prospect at his position. There is a wide range of outcomes for Odunze on day one, ranging from top ten down to the late first range. I think it will all depend on how the board shakes out, but my gut tells me I don’t think he gets past the top 20.
No matter where he lands, Odunze will be an early starter in year one and a potential impact rookie.
Dynasty Outlook
There seems to be no question Odunze is a first-round pick come April. I am expecting him to hear his name called early, anywhere between picks 10-20. With that day one draft capital, Odunze is a no-brainer rookie first-round pick in dynasty. He has climbed all the way up to the rookie WR3 pre-draft and rookie 1.06 overall in ADP, as you can see below
Courtesy of DLF’s Rookie Superflex Rankings.
This class of wide receivers is incredibly deep, with every different type of receiver available. Odunze fits the big-bodied type, such as Mike Evans, who provides a huge target range and imposing red zone threat. However, Odunze is more than just a contested catch specimen. He has good hands, ball skills, body control, and attacks the ball at its highest point – all the traits to look for in a receiver. His production and WR1 profile will translate early to the NFL and has a chance to be a valuable asset by the end of 2024 in year one.
