Rome Odunze
Wide Receiver, Washington
Redshirt Junior
Measurables (via University of Washington Athletics)
Height: 6030 (6’3”)
Weight: 215 lbs
BIO
Rome Odunze played his high school ball at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he earned several honors. These honors included being named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Nevada, the MaxPreps Nevada Player of the Year, and a ranking as the 2nd best player in Nevada and 185th overall prospect in the nation by 247Sports.
Odunze’s time at Washington began during the Covid-shortened 2020 season, where he saw limited playing time. However, during his lone start of that season, he led his team with five receptions for 69 yards. Odunze earned seven starts during the 2021 season in which he displayed flashes of talent, like during the Arizona St game where he had eight receptions for 82 yards.
Over the summer in-between his RS Freshman and RS Sophomore seasons, Rome was in Rome. Odunze, named after the Roman Empire by his father, studied abroad in Italy and spent time in the place built by the people of his namesake.
Odunze’s production took off in 2022 with the arrival of Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. Odunze put up the fifth-most receiving yards and seventh-most receptions of any receiver for the University of Washington. Odunze topped 100 receiving yards five times in a 6-game span and six total times during the season. Odunze’s production was rewarded with deserved recognition.
Odunze was named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll for a second consecutive year, the All-Pac-12 First Team, and the AP All-American Third Team. Odunze is currently on the Preseason Watch Lists for the Maxwell and Biletnikoff Awards.
KEY STATS (via Sports Reference CFB)
2020: 6 receptions, 72 receiving yards (Redshirt season)
2021: 41 receptions, 415 receiving yards, 4 Touchdowns
2022: 75 receptions, 1,145 receiving yards, 7 Touchdowns
2023: —
STRENGTHS
-Size and Speed: The big thing that stands out most to people watching Odunze is his prototypical combination of size and speed. Odunze stands tall at 6’3” and can really turn on the jets when he needs to. Size and speed will never guarantee that a player will be successful at the next level. However, having both elite size and speed like Odunze has can make skilled players go from difficult to near-impossible to cover. Unless you have a freak of your own on the other side of the ball, like Tariq Woolen, to match up with those kinds of players, all your answers in coverage will either be too slow or too small to suffice.
-Catch Radius: As if being a great height wasn’t enough, Odunze extends the area his QB has to throw to by fluidly and comfortably being able to snag anything in his lengthy catch radius. Penix has an absolute cannon, but his ball placement can be spotty at times. Odunze quickly proved to be a perfect match for a QB like Penix. There is a wide selection of receptions on his 2022 tape that could not have been caught by any other WR than Odunze.
-Double Moves / Setup: While Odunze isn’t as sudden or twitchy as a Tank Dell or Jalen Waddle type of player, he is a sufficient route runner that is intelligent in how he attacks defenses. He only utilizes his top gear when needed and understands the importance of changing speeds quickly within his routes to generate separation. Odunze also sells his fakes well by using his head and full body to make defenders think he is committing to his setup moves. If you want to see some great double moves, check out his tape in the UCLA and Washington State games. The double move for a score early in the UCLA game is especially beautiful.
WEAKNESSES
-After the Catch: Odunze has great speed, but he does not overly impress after the catch. He can’t make guys miss in open space with much regularity. Odunze was utilized on jet sweeps and screens throughout 2022, but he didn’t often do much more with those opportunities than what he was given. This, however, isn’t the most serious concern. He will keep himself in bounds to fight for yards and first downs. He certainly isn’t guilty of having a poor mindset out there. He just shouldn’t be expected to be Tyreek Hill.
-Off-Script: My biggest complaint in Odunze’s tape is probably his complacency when plays break down. While there are some times when he has acted as a safety blanket for Penix, there are also far too many instances of him running his route and then being stagnant rather than finding space for his QB. The biggest things I want to see more of in 2023 are more creativity and heads-up plays off-script.
IDEAL FIT
I’m not as concerned with scheme fit for Odunze in the NFL as I am with QB fit. Odunze is extremely intelligent on and off the field and has a wide array of skills. He should be able to be utilized well in any NFL offense. However, it would be a crime against god and nature for Odunze to not be paired with a confident NFL QB with a rocket for an arm.
Any of the elite quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, or Patrick Mahomes would obviously be great fits, but I believe that Trevor Lawrence would potentially be the best fit for him in the NFL. Odunze has the traits that would reward talented, gutsy QBs that are willing to put trust in their receivers.
SUMMARY
Odunze is someone that I was delighted to see return to college for another year. While I loved what I saw from him in 2022, he could be a little streaky and inconsistent. I even put in my notes last year that I had my fingers crossed that he would return for one more season. With another offseason under his belt with Penix, I’m very excited to see his growth and what kind of production he’s capable of this year.
I won’t try to overhype and oversell him and say that he will rival Marvin Harrison Jr, but I do believe that he has a shot to be one of the most productive WRs in all of college football in 2023. I had him at a late second-round grade last season, and I believe that if we see reasonable growth from last year, he should be able to hear his name called during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
