X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Chris Olave - 2022 NFL Draft Rookie Profile

Chris Olave - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Andrew Lalama's NFL Draft rookie profile for WR Chris Olave. Read his 2022 NFL rookie outlook, his NFL Draft prediction, and fantasy football value.

The 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile series features prominent 2022 NFL Draft prospects with film analysis and scouting insights. I have experience working in college football and have been studying the NFL Draft for over 15 years. My analysis is based on film study and analytics. In 2021, I profiled nine of the top skill players in the draft. So far this season, I have written up profiles on Arkansas WR Treylon Burks, USC WR Drake London, Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson, Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett, Liberty QB Malik Willis, and North Carolina QB Sam Howell.

A common misconception about the NFL Draft is that the college and pro games are very similar. They are not. Besides the obvious difference in speed and skill level, a college field has different hash mark distances and different rules. There are specific schemes and plays that NFL teams copy from college and vice versa. But the differences between the two are understated in NFL Draft analysis. There's a reason many highly-productive college players are not considered legitimate professionals.

To that end, scouting prospects is not just about evaluating college performance, it’s about projecting traits that translate to the next level. This is not limited to just physical traits. There are certain football traits that are evident in college film and will translate to the pro game. For example, a wide receiver being able to get in and out of breaks efficiently will not change from college to pro. On the flip side, an edge rusher who got most of his sacks due to hustle or missed offensive line assignments may not have shown translatable traits on film. We will continue our 2022 Prospect Profile series with Ohio State WR Chris Olave.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Chris Olave - NFL Rookie Profile

Chris Olave is a 6-0, 187-pound speedster who produced 2702 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns during his four-year career at Ohio State. Olave passed on declaring last year as a Junior and went back to Columbus in 2021, when he led an historic Ohio State WR group with 13 touchdowns. Olave is commonly ranked behind fellow Buckeye Garrett Wilson, but he has a strong case to flip that. In fact, Olave being the first WR drafted isn't out of the question. He's that good. Let's dive into the film.

 

Deep Threat

Chris Olave's play speed is his most dominating physical trait. His ability to win deep down the field will make him very attractive to teams that emphasize stretching the field vertically. Teaming him up with a QB who can hit the deep ball would be deadly.

The clip below shows him blow by the outside leverage corner and run away from the safety. Even with a slightly underthrown ball, Clemson's DBs have no chance. Olave is more smooth than twitchy, and you can see how he sprints off his outside foot at the subtle breakpoint of the deep post route. This stuff translates.

To be an excellent deep threat, tracking the football is an essential skill. Olave is fantastic at the catch point down the field. The clip below shows him extend and "stab late" so that he can run through the catch point. His hands are excellent. Also, while we can't see the route on the broadcast footage, his separation from the corner just gets wider as he reacts to the ball. That's play speed.

Olave is terrific at adjusting his body and placing his hands to make over-the-shoulder grabs. The catch below is extremely difficult, but he's able to secure it while leaning his body to the outside and keeping his feet in bounds. Notice how deliberate and focused his eyes are to the ball to complete the play. Brilliant stuff.

Olave's play speed shines through in other ways than just deep balls. In the clip below he runs a simple shallow cross. It's a 40-yard dash to the opposite side of the field and his separation from the defender just gets wider. He's literally exponentially faster.

 

Making it Look Easy

There is a lot of data that supports the notion that the best WR prospects are early declarees. Chris Olave stayed all four years at Ohio State and also never emerged as the true alpha on his team. However, it is super important to view each situation on a case-by-case basis, and I believe his film separates him from past busts with those two things in common. While Olave did choose to stay in school for his Senior year, it's not like he built his draft status as a Senior. He had already established himself as a first-round player. Also, we have seen way too many instances where two or more receivers on a college team had success in the NFL. Not separating yourself as the unquestioned alpha when the other guys around you are also special isn't a big deal. See Justin Jefferson.

Olave's return to school actually makes him one of the more mature and polished WRs in this class. He clearly understands passing concepts, how to set up routes, and use leverage to his advantage. You can't play as fast as he does without mastering the fundamentals of your craft and having 100% confidence in understanding your assignment on each play.

The clip below shows a simple curl route against zone coverage. Notice how fluid he is out of the break. He's not as twitchy as Garrett Wilson, but his smoothness and hip fluidity allows him to stem outside and win back downhill.

The more I watched Olave, the more I liked his route-running. He didn't gain separation on every single rep, but there was more than enough evidence that he can work the boundary against one-on-one coverage at the NFL level.

Olave also has excellent hands and made some very difficult catches. The clip below shows him climb the ladder against Rutgers, extend his arms and secure the catch along the boundary.

While not a huge run-after-catch threat, Olave's smoothness does translate when he transitions to a runner. The clip below shows him unsurprisingly win on the deep crosser and quickly flip his head and eyes around to burst upfield. He may have to jump to catch the ball because the defender is in his line of vision.

 

Weaknesses

The main question with Olave's translation to the pro game is how he'll deal with physicality. Olave is smooth and fast but he's not a physical player. How he deals with fast, physical DBs trying to rough him up will be key.

The clip below shows him getting re-routed fairly easily by the Penn State defender over him in the slot. He's pushed two full yards off his route and loses speed. This allows the outside corner to get hands on (yes possibly a slight tug), and either their feet get tangled or Olave just falls after being contacted. Regardless of whether or not it should be a penalty, this clip shows his play strength as below average.

Olave struggling with physicality is a possibility. In the clip below he' asked to block a corner. He doesn't deliver a strike or move his feet, and his feeble attempt fails completely. His film showed a player that basically can't block. While there are ways to scheme around that, it's more an indictment on his lack of play strength than anything else.

In addition to poor blocking and issues with physicality, there were instances on film of Olave struggling to separate on shorter routes. The route below is a simple hitch, but the DB does not buy him vertically at all. His strides are too obvious, his arms aren't pumping, and he reaches at the top of the break. It's a loss against man coverage.

There were other instances where his lack of twitch didn't allow him to layer moves on top of just winning with speed. For example, after stacking a defender, he wouldn't use a rocker step to fake one way and break to his corner route. This will allow good DBs to simply trail and make up ground when Olave has to change direction.

 

NFL Outlook

Chris Olave is an incredibly talented WR prospect with ideal play speed, hands, and ball-tracking ability. His smoothness, fluidity, and polish make him a dynamic player who projects to make a lot of big plays at the next level. Olave isn't the biggest run-after-catch threat, doesn't always get separation on short routes, and isn't a good blocker, but a lot of teams care more about what you can do than what you can't. If a team is looking for a deep threat, his game clearly translates to the NFL. I would be shocked to see Olave slip past the 20th pick, and I think he's a darkhorse candidate to be the first WR off the board and a top-10 pick. He's that good.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more draft content in the coming days.

Other Prospect Profiles:

Malik Willis - QB, Liberty

Kenny Pickett - QB, Pittsburgh

Sam Howell - QB, North Carolina

Garrett Wilson - WR, Ohio State

Drake London - WR, USC

Treylon Burks - WR, Arkansas



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More NFL Rookie Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF