Rome Odunze that he would like to run a sub-4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine this weekend.
He came pretty darn close, running a 4.45൩ 40-yard dash on Saturday in Indianapolis:
Rome Odunze NFL Scouting Combine Results
Note: All Scouting Combine results are courtesy of NFL.com
40 Yard Dash: 4.45
10 Yard Split: 1.52
Vertical: 39.00″
Broad: 10’4″
Who is Washington Wide Receiver Rome Odunze?
A talented team captain with excellent size and elite ball skills, Odunze consistently dominated his competition. While most receivers rely on speed or rout🍸e running to create open separation windows, Odunze excels at jump balls and contested catches.
He is exceptional in all aspects of ball skills, including positioning, body control, hand strength, timing, and mid-air adjꩵustments. However, he tends to cruise through routes instead of focusing on detail and pacing. Odunze was a highly decorated high school sprinter, so speed should not be an issue when he enters the pros.
He has the pote꧋ntial to be a high-volume target at the next level, and play-callers can utilize him to take advantage of finesse cornerbacks. Elite ball skills are often the key ingredient for top NFL receivers, so it would not be surprising if Odunze becomes a Day 1 starter and a ൲top-flight WR1.
Washington Wide Receiver Rome Odunze Scouting Report
Odunze is a highly skilled pass receiver with a muscular build and strong hands. His agility and speed in changing directions while running routes are impressive, particularly when executing curl routes. He’s a major threat to defenses, and during the 2023 season, he scored six touchdowns on passes of 20-plus yards, tying him for seventh place nationally.
Odunze is an outstanding ball tracker, and he’s able to create separation late in his route with shoulder bumps or subtle push-offs. He has excellent body control and balance, capable of jumping and spinning to catch the ball before landing and continuing to run downfield. Odunze catches the ball outside of his body and is highly effective in contested catch situations. He frequently overpowers or boxes out opponents to give himself leverage at the catch point. Odunze is also skilled at running through arm tackles after the catch, and he’s often used on screen plays, where he can weave his way through traffic to gain significant yardage.
Odunze has a good understanding of zones, anticipating the soft spots in the coverage before settling down and providing a clear target for his quarterback. He’s a dedicated player who works hard in the run game, using his physicality to punch and wall off opponents. He’s a reliable and consistent performer, having dropped only three of the 140 targets he received last season, according to PFF.
However, Odunze can struggle with physical press at the line and will need to continue to develop his release package to keep cornerbacks guessing. At times, his route running lacks refinement, and he’ll juke back and forth at the stem of his route, ending up running into the defender. He needs to work on refining his cuts and footwork to develop more discipline and nuance in his route running. Additionally, he could benefit from working harder to get open in scramble drills or off-schedule situations.
What the Experts Are Saying About Rome Odunze
“Odunze is field-fast with the fluid route running and above-average tracking/adjustment skills to secure catches in high-trafficked areas or create explosive plays downfield (32 catches of 20-plus yards in 2023, second most in the FBS).
“His body control at the catch point has always been a strength, but he took major strides with his ability to play through contact and use focused concentration to win 50-50 balls. Odunze has the pass-catching instincts and competitive focus to be a high-end NFL starter.”
– The Athletic’s Dane Brugler
