Rome Odunze has become one of the hottest prospect names in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to take place on April 25. Odunze's draft stock has been on the rise ever since his impressive 2023 season. And now, there's talk he could be the first wide receiver picked in this year's draft, even over Marvin Harrison Jr.
Odunze started to stand out because he did what other higher-profile names, like Harrison, decided not to do: participate in the NFL Combine. The former Huskies wide receiver put up some impressive numbers, including a 39-inch vertical leap, a 4.03 20-yard shuttle, and a 4.45 40-yard dash. But what really made him stand out is that despite having the fourth-highest three-cone drill, Odunze re-ran the drill to attempt to beat 6.6 seconds, per Yahoo Sports.
That had to impress a ton of scouts on hand that evening, seeing the hard work and determination of a player like that. Will that, among his other characteristics and college stats, be good enough to propel him above Harrison or the other hot name, LSU's Malik Nabers? After the top three picks, that's when Odunze or one of these wide receivers should start coming off the board, possibly back-to-back with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 and the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5.
We're going to assume that Harrison is still the first off the board, meaning Odunze would be a perfect fit for the Chargers with the No. 5 overall pick. Here's why:
The Chargers lack a No. 1 wide receiver
Having to shore up cap space and perhaps start over at the position, the Chargers have done a lot of work to their wide receiver room this offseason — but not by addition. They quickly released Mike Williams, who has been injury-prone since he came into the league and was coming off a season-ending knee injury last season. The biggest surprise, however, was trading Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears.
That leaves the receiver room pretty bare right now, with the only notable player still on the roster being last year's first-round pick, Quentin Johnston, who hasn't panned out yet. If the Chargers draft Odunze, he could easily come in and be the No. 1 receiver on the team in no time.
Jim Harbaugh has seen what Rome Odunze can do
New Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has seen firsthand what preparing for and playing against Rome Odunze is like when Michigan faced Washington in the National Championship this past season. Even though the Huskies scored just once and couldn't do much against the talented Wolverines defense, Odunze still had a solid game overall. He led the Huskies in receiving yards, catching five passes for 87 yards, with a long of 44 yards.
With such a glaring need now at the wide receiver position, one would think that Harbaugh remembers Odunze's talents and now hopes he will be playing for him instead of against him.
Justin Herbert and Rome Odunze could be one of the best QB/WR duos in the NFL
As good as we know Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to be, it still feels like we've not quite seen the absolute best version of him. Some of that is due to a lack of coaching, while some could even be talent. Allen had been one of Herbert's favorites since he became the starting quarterback, and with him gone, he's going to need a new weapon to throw to.
Odunze has already drawn some comparisons to Allen, as NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms said he saw a lot of Allen's game in the former Huskies receiver. So Odunze more or less could just be an upgraded, new edition of Allen, who is 31 years old. That likely wouldn't upset Herbert too much. In a division that has Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, any lethal combo to take down the reigning champs is welcomed.
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