This year's draft is chock-full of WR talent, with Marvin Harrison Jr. the presumptive No. 1 WR. But just below that top tier is incredible talent. One of the most complete prospects is Roman Odunze from the University of Washington. Odunze is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended Bishop Gorman High School and was the 2019 Nevada Gatorade Football Player of the Year. After a senior year in which he had 54 catches for 1,222 yards and 15 TDs, Odunze committed to the University of Washington. Odunze was also a sprinter in high school, winning the 200m and his 4A state title at Nevada in the 400m relay. He was also a finalist for the 2023 Biletnikov Prize.
When asked about the history behind his unique name, Odunze said his father, James, gave him the name because he has always been a big history buff. “My pop really liked the Roman Empire, some of the cool things in it, and the cultural influence it had on the world,” Odunze explained. But Odunze is more than just a Western WR with a cool name. Let's dig into his rookie profile. In this series, The Fantasy Footballers writer takes a look at many of the top players in his 2024 class. We analyze each player's performance, metrics, and footage to show you his fantasy football outlook for 2024 and beyond.
Editor's note: This article is part of our article Rookie profile series It lasts until the 2024 NFL Draft.Learn more about each newcomer here Andy, Mike and Jason's unique rookie rankings and production profiles only. dynasty passpart of UDK+ in 2024.
College Production Profile
| season | team | GP | recording | YDS | Y/C | T.D. |
| 2020 | wisconsin | 2 | 6 | 72 | 12.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | wisconsin | 9 | 41 | 415 | 10.1 | Four |
| 2022 | wisconsin | 12 | 75 | 1,145 | 15.3 | 7 |
| 2023 | wisconsin | 15 | 92 | 1,640 | 17.8 | 13 |
One of the first things you notice when looking at Odunze's college profile is that he did not declare early. He only appeared in two games his first year, but played all four years in Washington. We know that WRs who traditionally declare early usually have more success in the NFL and fantasy. After all, if you forgo your final year of college to enter the NFL Draft, you generally have quite a bit of talent. Early-declaring WRs typically score about 4 more fantasy points per game than WRs in their college careers, and since 2005, 4-year WRs drafted in the top 16 There are only 14 candidates. When it comes to NFL productions, it might be considered a hit. The two biggest players were DeVonta Smith and Chris Olave.
However…I don't care here. Odunze is likely to be an exception, not the norm.
Odunze’s growth through college cannot be ignored. At a breakout age of 19.3 (which is considered great), Odunze improved every year in college. His overall increase in receptions, yards, and TDs is exactly what you want to see in a top-tier profile. This is the type of player who will continue to develop and improve his skills as his NFL career progresses.
Odunze's 1,640 receiving yards in 2023 were the most among WRs in his draft class and a Washington single-season record. He tied for third in TDs and had the second-most targets by a WR with 140. He finished his college career with a dominator rate of 33%, his team's share of receiving yards and receiving TDs. every match.
Rome may not have been built in a day, but Odunze did extremely well in his four years in Washington.
measurable
While Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabors chose not to participate in the combine, which involved on-field practice, Odunze decided it was a great opportunity to show off his skills.
| height | weight | recruit | Year | breakout era | 40-TD | 10YD split | vertical | wide range | 3-cone | shuttle | hand |
| 6'3'' | 212 pounds | 4 stars | 21.8 | 19.3 | 4.45 | 1.52 | 39 inch | 10 feet 4 inches | 6.88 | 4.03 | 9 1/4 inch |
And he showed off what he did. Odunze has a near-perfect physique for an NFL WR, and while he's slightly above the average height and weight for an NFL WR1, he does it extremely well. Odunze was in the middle of the pack with a 40 YD time, but he was still relatively fast as nine people ran under 4.4 YD this year. His background as a sprinter can be seen by looking at his 10-yard split time, which was tied for fourth among WRs who practiced.
He dominated the three-cone and shuttle drills, showing how fast his feet are and how incredible it is to keep spinning and accelerating on a dime.
What's on the tape
Games viewed: Oregon (2023), Michigan (2023), Texas (2023), California (2023), Michigan State University (2023)
1. Overall size
Measuring 6 feet 3 inches and 212 pounds at the Indy combine, Odunze was one of the heaviest and tallest WRs in attendance. He was the fourth heaviest and third tallest. Odunze used his size to win at the catch point many times during his college career.
In 2023, QB Michael Penix Jr. threw a lot of balls that looked like incomplete passes, but Odunze's height allows him to steal the ball out of the air, scramble the ball with defenders, and throw the quarterback. I was able to save it.
2. Technical proficiency
Despite his height and size, Odunze doesn't win with athleticism as much as you might think. Indeed, he demonstrated that at the combine. Although his scores have been solid and his overall prospects have improved even more, Odunze's brains and football talent are what he uses to showcase his skills. Odunze is one of the best route runners in the class, and his ability to separate efficiently is incredible.
Although he did not participate in all of the drills in Indianapolis, he showed off his technical skills in the drills he did participate in. Odunze was fourth in the three-cone drill and second in the shuttle drill, and we'll see how that translates on the field. His change of direction ability and overall quickness allows him to get past defenders and gain valuable yards that other WRs can stop in their tracks.
Roma Odunze noticed right after the start that the DB was bailing to the outside, so he took advantage of this and forced himself inside, just running away from him. The throw was delayed a bit and the DB was able to regain ground, but Odunze continued playing anyway. He gets points with some physicality. pic.twitter.com/ADzjTTxobf
— Jeremy (@PopesFFH) March 14, 2024
3. Contested capture ability
Odunze is incredible when it comes to catching the ball, whether it's saving Penix on a questionable throw or just his ability to fight defenders and get the ball. In his final year at the University of Washington, he contested 24 goals. He had at least 30 targets and the fourth most contested targets among WRs in the draft class. Opponents knew he was good and he played like that.
But it still didn't matter. Odunze captured 17 of the contested targets, corresponding to a contested capture rate of 70.8%. He has an incredible talent for tracking the football, adjusting accordingly, and fighting defenders for catches.
But don't think this number of contested catches means Odunze can't create separation. His high number of targets (his 140, second-most in his draft class) means there are simply more opportunities for contested catches. Additionally, when you watch his tape, you can see that he does a good job of separating and putting distance between himself and defenders. His speed and size will help him here.
Washington WR @Rome It's DAWG😤
CFB statistics for 2023:
🔥 92 Reception
🔥 1,640 receiving yards
🔥 14 touchdownsWhich team will take Odunze in the 2024 NFL Draft?
pic.twitter.com/jE2mRFJtAP— Sleeper NFL (@SleeperNFL) January 12, 2024
What's not on tape
1. Work ethics
I don't think this quality was something you could see on tape until a few weeks ago. Then I watched the combine and three-cone drill on Saturday night. Odunze had a great score in the drill, posting one of the fastest times of 6.88, but it wasn't enough for him. He was the last prospect on the field, as his goal was to break 6.6 in drills.
He didn't have to stay on the field and keep fighting, but he did. What a great guy he is to go into battle. He is clearly reliable in important situations and has proven that he will continue to strive to improve himself for the team.
#Washington Wideout Roman Odunze remained at Lucas Oilfield late Friday long after the stadium had emptied, trying to break 6.6 seconds on the three-cone drill. this man. pic.twitter.com/K6F1ZqN9Jn
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 3, 2024
2. Personality
Only talent will take you this far. Andy, Mike, and Jason mention countless times on their podcasts about players who consistently give up deals and contracts that seem insane in terms of their production level. What's the elephant in the room here? Their personalities, their ability to provide leadership in the locker room, and their ability to inspire those around them.
Although the rising tide lifted all boats and some highly touted prospects did not speak to the media at the combine, Odunze was undaunted by the odd question.
For some reason, Roman Odunze was asked if he could land the plane in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/CeF0Y3OzTB
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 1, 2024
3. YAC is less than expected
I'm talking about the details here. Odunze threw just 390 yards after contact in his final year at the University of Washington and was not ranked among the top 20 WRs in his draft class. He showed the ability to fight after contact, but didn't translate into big numbers.
4. Short and medium term goals
Odunze was a beast when it came to deep targets in 2023. He had 49 deep targets, the most in his draft class, and captured almost 47% of them. Odunze liked to dive deep. 35% of his targets were over 20 yards. He is rarely seen in the short or middle areas of the field. He hit 25.7% of his goals in the middle areas of the field and 30.7% in the short areas of the field.
Developing his route tree will help open up some targets in the middle of the field for Odunze in the NFL. He loves vertical routes, and 10 of his 13 TDs in 2023 came on go routes or fades.
fantasy perspective
Odunze will likely hear his name in the first round of the NFL Draft, possibly in the top 10. NFLMockDraftDatabase currently projects Odunze to be the No. 6 pick and the third WR off the board. Odunze has been compared to players like Keenan Allen ( kyle (laughs), DeAndre Hopkins, and Larry Fitzgerald.
WRs selected in the first round of the NFL Draft typically perform well in fantasy. Over the past 20 years, 24 players have averaged more than 8 fantasy points per game in their first year in the NFL. These players seem to get even better with time and age as they gain NFL experience, further increasing Odunze's dynasty draft stock.
Odunze will likely move to a team where he has the opportunity to be an alpha right away, and therefore could be the cornerstone of a dynasty roster for the upcoming season. He is used to competing with other talented receivers. Last season in Washington, he shared the field with Jaylin Polk and Jalen McMillan, who will also be drafted this year.
Odunze is exactly the type of prospect Dynasty should be targeting.
