2021 NFL Draft Player Preview: Chris Olave

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Chris Olave, 6-1/188 Wide Receiver Ohio State

Chris Olave 2020 Preview
By Charlie Campbell

Career Recap: The Buckeyes had other good receiving talent with more experience on their roster, but Olave was their most dynamic receiver playmaker during the 2019 season, totaling 849 yards and 12 touchdowns on 49 catches. He was a big-time point producer and looked like he was just getting started. It was a huge increase over his freshman year, when he caught 12 passes for 197 yards with three scores.



2020 Season Outlook: There are a lot of weak Big Ten opponents on Ohio State’s revised schedule. Unfortunately, the game against Oregon was canceled, as it would have been great to see Olave take on Ducks safety Jevon Holland. Michigan State’s Shakur Brown, Michigan’s Vincent Gray and Penn State’s Tariq Castro-Fields are on NFL teams’ preseason watch list, so those could be the best games to judge Olave’s abilities.

Skill-Set Summary: NFL teams are always looking for receiving weapons to move the chains and produce big plays given the passing-driven modern game. Thus there should be plenty of teams targeting Olave in the 2021 NFL Draft, assuming he skips his senior year. He showed a pro skill set as a sophomore and looks ready to play at the NFL level right now.

Even though Olave was only in his first year of signifiant playing time in 2019, he was very polished, showing a well-rounded skill set with good technique. While Olave is not a burner like DeSean Jackson, Henry Ruggs or Will Fuller, Olave is fast and can run by defensive backs. He has the ability to challenge defenses over the top and is a threat to go vertical for a score on any reception.

Along with being fast, Olave is a smooth route-runner who does not take extra steps and glides through the secondary with easy speed. With his route-running and quickness, Olave is constantly generating separation to get open for his quarterback. He shows good recognition and feel for defenders to find soft spots in the secondary. Olave is sure-handed and has superb body control along the sideline and the athleticism to adjust. The intelligence and polish shows up as Olave doesn’t quit on plays and is very good at breaking off routes to run to openings in order to help his scrambling quarterback.



Olave has a thinner build and does not have mismatch height or length. It would help him to get a little stronger for the NFL, as long as he doesn’t lose speed by gaining more muscle mass to scrap with pro defensive backs. He also has a tendency to body catch some passes that he could attack with his hands.

Olave looks like a future starter in the NFL with the versatility to be an outside receiver or line up in the slot. Early in his pro career, he could be a key contributor to a potent passing attack.



2021 NFL Draft Expectations: Entering the 2020 season, Olave looks like an early-round prospect who could be riser over the course of 2020.

2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville Jhamon Ausbon, WR, Texas A&M Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama Carlos Basham, DE, Wake Forest Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas Jabril Cox, LB, LSU Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State Kenny Gainwell, RB, Memphis Richie Grant, S, Central Florida Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State Trey Hill, C, Georgia Jevon Holland, S, Oregon Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Patrick Jones, DE, Pittsburgh Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama Walker Little, OT, Stanford Hunter Long, TE, Boston College Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia Davis Mills, QB, Stanford Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU Elijah Molden, CB, Washington Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M Dan Moore Jr., OT, Texas A&M Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA Azeez Ojulari, LB, Georgia Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington Joseph Ossai, LB, Texas Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah, LB, Notre Dame Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan Ronnie Perkins, OLB, Oklahoma Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida Quincy Roche, OLB, Miami Larry Rountree, RB, Missouri Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Tyler Shelvin, DT, LSU Rashawn Slater, C, Northwestern DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama D'Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina Trey Smith, G, Tennessee Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Kyle Trask, QB, Florida Joe Tryon, DE, Washington Jay Tufele, DT, USC Payton Turner, DE, Houston T.J. Vasher, WR, Texas Tech Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

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