Rome Odunze will likely be available at No. 10 for the New York Jets
The New York Jets relegated themselves to the third-best option.
By winning their final game of the season, they dropped from what would have been the No. 6 pick to the No. 10. In so doing, they may have pushed themselves out of the top-two conversation at their two primary positions of need — offensive tackle and wide receiver. They’re left with the last licks.
Rome Odunze is one of those third-rated prospects. After Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers, he is typically listed as the third-best receiver in the draft. Since the Jets desperately need a No. 2 receiver, Odunze will be often mocked to them unless and until they sign or trade for a different top player.
What do the numbers and film have to say about Odunze, though? Is he truly fit to step into the No. 2 role immediately?
Bio
Odunze began his college career during the Covid-shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he started seven of nine games and recorded 41 receptions for 415 yards and four touchdowns. His breakout came in 2022 when he was named a first-team All-American, catching 75 passes for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.
He followed that up with another first-team berth and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award in 2023, given to college football’s best wide receiver. In 15 games, Odunze caught 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was also a team captain.
Odunze is listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. He is 21 years old.
After the college season, Odunze revealed that he sustained a punctured lung and broken rib in September. He played through them.
Statistics
In 2023, Odunze posted 92 receptions on 140 targets (66%) for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns. His yardage total led the nation while he tied for sixth in touchdowns. Among 153 qualified FBS receivers (min. 70 targets), his 17.8 yards per reception ranked 14th and and his 2.93 yards per route run ranked 17th. He played 81.1% of his snaps on the outside.
Odunze’s 3.9% drop rate would translate well to the NFL, where 6.1% was the receiver average in 2023. He caught 16 of 23 contested targets (69.6%), the eighth-best mark in the nation. He fumbled twice, though. His 60 first downs were the second-most among receivers.
Odunze led the nation with 40 deep targets (20+ yards downfield). He caught 18 of them (45%) for 599 yards and six touchdowns. His 15.0 yards per target on deep balls ranked 52nd out of 146 receivers with at least 15 deep targets. He did not drop any deep targets and caught 7 of 12 contested ones (57.1%).
Against man coverage, Odunze caught 58.1% of his passes for 520 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 20.8 yards per reception. His 4.16 yards per route run against man coverage ranked fifth, and he caught 8 of 11 contested targets (72.7%). He ranked second with 22 first downs against man.
Can he be the No. 2?
The numbers show some of Odunze’s positives — specifically his contested-catch ability. The film shows some of his negatives, specifically his lack of explosiveness out of breaks and relatively raw route-running. Still, his ability to go up and get it is definitely a trait the Jets could use in their receivers and could also help him perform on Day 1 in the NFL.
Will he slot in as a No. 2 receiver immediately, though? The Jets started Garrett Wilson out as their fourth receiver until he forced their hand. Odunze is not nearly the route-runner Wilson was in college. If the Jets feel that he will need to be slow-played, they are that much more likely to try to make a move on one of the available veteran receivers than to draft one.
Harrison Jr. will almost certainly go in the top five, and Nabers might, too. Odunze is the most likely to hold out to No. 10 (although he could also be taken earlier). The Jets likely won’t regret taking him in the long run, but in Year 1, he may not be quite the threat to take pressure off Wilson.
