Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave might be the best wide receiver in the 2022 NFL draft
USC’s Drake London, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, and Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson have received the most attention among wide receiver prospects in the 2022 NFL draft class.
But it might be Wilson’s lesser-heralded Ohio State teammate, Chris Olave, who actually goes on to become the best player in this class.
While Olave is widely viewed as a first-round prospect – he is currently ranked as the No. 17 overall player on the consensus big board at NFL Mock Draft Database – it is rare to see anybody label him as the best wide receiver prospect in this class.
When it comes to the New York Jets, Olave is usually overlooked in favor of London, Burks, and Wilson as an option to be drafted by the team in the first round.
The lack of support for Olave as a contender for the “WR1” title needs to change. Olave deserves far more buzz than he’s currently getting.
In his 2021 senior season, Olave caught 65 passes for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns in 11 games. He achieved that while competing for targets against Wilson, a first-round prospect, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who will likely be drafted early in 2023.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Olave turned heads with a time of 4.39 seconds in the forty-yard dash.
The numbers are solid, but it’s Olave’s film that puts him over the top. When you observe his skills on tape, it becomes clear that he has what it takes to be considered the best wide receiver prospect in the 2022 NFL draft.
In the film breakdown below, we will discuss the tools and traits that give Olave a strong chance to end up having a better career than all of the prospects who are currently overshadowing him.
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I disagree both that Olave should be considered the best WR in the draft class and that he should be considered the best WR prospect for the Jets. There are several key traits that the Jets want in their WRs: speed, route running, YAC, and blocking. Olave has the first two, but is totally lacking in the last two traits or skills, and YAC is perhaps the most important of those traits for Jets’ WRs. Olave became overshadowed by Wilson, Burks and London through no fault of his own? Hardly. He was outplayed by all three prospect this past season. Olave wasn’t even the best WR on his own Buckeyes team. Wilson was better, and Smith-NJigba was probably better too. I like Olave better than London, but that’s it. I thnk Wilson and Burks are both better, and Pickens, Dotson, and Watson could wind up better as well.