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2022 Dynasty Draft Profile: Chris Olave

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2022 Dynasty Draft Profile: Chris Olave

To kick off each dynasty profile from the 2022 skill position draft class, a dated positional ranking will be presented, relevant to that prospect’s position. As the profiles have been published, the rankings have evolved. The number of WRs that are either declared underclassmen or seniors exhausting their eligibility – at least the ones that have publicly declared their intention to pursue a career in the NFL – currently stands at a crowded 168. And that isn’t even an exhaustive number since the WRs who have zero chance of being drafted have already been filtered out from the very long list of those testing at a collegiate Pro Day. Without further delay, here are the top-25 WR rankings from the 2022 class as of publication:

Class RankPlayerCollegeDOBAge (Week 1)
WR1Garrett WilsonOhio State7/22/0022.1
WR2Chris OlaveOhio State6/27/0022.2
WR3Jameson WilliamsAlabama3/26/0121.5
WR4Drake LondonUSC7/24/0121.1
WR5Treylon BurksArkansas3/23/0022.5
WR6Jahan DotsonPenn State3/22/0022.5
WR7George PickensGeorgia3/4/0121.6
WR8Christian WatsonNorth Dakota State3/12/9923.5
WR9Skyy MooreWestern Michigan9/10/0022.0
WR10David BellPurdue12/14/0021.8
WR11Wan'Dale RobinsonKentucky1/5/0121.8
WR12Alec PierceCincinnati5/2/0022.4
WR13John Metchie IIIAlabama7/18/0022.1
WR14Justyn RossClemson12/15/9922.8
WR15Calvin Austin IIIMemphis3/24/9923.5
WR16Khalil ShakirBoise State2/3/0022.7
WR17Bo MeltonRutgers5/18/9923.3
WR18Jalen TolbertSouth Alabama2/27/9923.6
WR19Danny GraySMU4/1/9923.5
WR20Tyquan ThorntonBaylor8/7/0022.1
WR21Samori TouréNebraska3/24/9824.5
WR22Kevin Austin Jr.Notre Dame3/30/0022.5
WR23Ty FryfogleIndiana1/28/9923.7
WR24Isaiah WestonNorthern Iowa10/25/9724.10
WR25Deven ThompkinsUtah State12/23/9922.8

To think that, at one time, Chris Olave struggled luring the attention of FBS programs to his doorstep. While attending East Lake High School in Chula Vista, California, the Titans hired their third new HC in the last four years just prior to Olave’s junior year. Not to mention the fact that they used an 80/20 split of run/pass. Those factors led the Olave family to decide to relocate 40 miles north to San Marcos so that Chris and Josh Olave – the older of the brothers by one year, could attend one of the better football programs in the state, Mission Hills. At the end of his sophomore year at East Lake, Olave provided the following athletic testing measurements from The Nike Opening Regionals:

Testing from The Opening Regionals Presented by Nike+ in Long Beach, California (February 28th, 2016)
PlayerHeightWeight40-Yard DashPro ShuttleVertical
Chris Olave6-foot ½“1604.734.1934 ½"

Unfortunately, the archaic transfer rules in place forced the Olave brothers to sit out the entire 2016 football season. For Josh, that meant his high-school football career would be over. But Josh agreed to the move anyway in a selfless gesture so that his younger brother could draw the national attention his talents deserved. And Chris did not disappoint. As a member of the Grizzlies’ track and field roster — where Josh also starred during that ‘16 season — Chris won the 2017 Avocado East 100m championship with a 10.82-second time and aided his school in taking the top spot in the 4x100 relay. He set personal bests of 22.36-seconds in the 200m and 23-foot-6” in the long jump. Olave also played basketball to pass the time. After averaging 18 PPG and eight RPG as a senior, Chris was selected to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State First Team.

Here is a clip showing off Olave’s hops from early in his basketball career:

Just don’t forget that Olave also happens to play football. Finally able to play for Mission Hills, in spite of his 12/150/1 receiving line in the San Diego Section (SDS) Open Division championship game, Mission Hills suffered their first defeat of the season 26-19 to Elelyon Noa’s Helix Highlanders. Olave set the SDS single-season record with 1,764 receiving yards, his 93 receptions rank as the third-most and he found paydirt 26 times while catching passes from best friend Jack Tuttle – the SDS Player of the Year that season. Bizarre but true, the effort only earned Chris SDS All-State Second Team honors. However, he was also named the Cal-Hi Sports San Diego Boys Athlete of the Year and Cal-Hi Sports Three-Sport Athlete of the Year.

Even with those gaudy senior numbers, Olave still struggled drawing FBS powerhouse interest. One day while Ryan Day – OC for the Buckeyes at that time – was making an official visit to San Marcos to scout Tuttle, everything changed. Day just happened to be watching the Grizzlies practice when Olave popped onto his radar, drawing his full attention. Tuttle would end up at Utah, later transferring to Indiana. But had Day discovered the real reason he flew 1,945 miles.

Out of nowhere – information that was oddly under-reported – when scouts got wind of where Day’s attention was devoted on his visit, Olave was reclassified from a middling three- into a four-star prospect. Before Olave knew it, Michigan, USC, Tennessee and UCLA all had their eyes on him. While he gave some brainwave to the Bruins, Olave graciously accepted the scholarship from the program that “discovered” him.

By the time he concluded his college career, Olave would lead Ohio State to a 91.7 winning percentage. He set the school receiving TD record (35) – the fourth-most in Big Ten history. In addition, Olave posted the third-most career receptions (176), fifth-most receiving yards (2,711) and second-most 100-yard games (11) in school history. In addition to 31 receiving TDs, Olave collected at least two receptions in 31-of-33 games over his last three seasons in Columbus. Chris never missed a game due to injury, only forced to sit out the 2020 Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern due to COVID-19.

As a true freshman in Columbus, Olave did enough to carve out an offensive role against Nebraska in Week 10. Three games into his new role, the production was minimal, but a true breakout was imminent. On only 25 routes facing Northwestern in the 2018 Big Ten Championship and, during the previous week, across from rival Michigan, Olave produced a 7/127/3 combined line. He also blocked a punt against the Wolverines that was returned for six. In the clip below, we see Olave scoring his first career TD for OSU from the late Dwayne Haskins Jr.:

The late-season breakout from Olave thrust him into a significant role as a true sophomore. He responded to the trust by leading OSU receivers in receiving yards (849), TDs (12) and YPR (17.3). He was recognized with an All-Big Ten Third Team placement. Olave shepherded the Buckeye receiver group in receptions (50), yards (729) and TDs (seven) during his COVID-shortened true junior season. A First Team All-Big Ten selection followed.

The WR groups at Ohio State have labeled themselves as “Zone 6” dating back to originally being coined by Dontre Wilson in reference to the end zone back in 2013. If you watch the film very closely, it becomes quite obvious that Olave spent a lot of time crafting his game closely with the assistance of Garrett Wilson and, be very scared, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It’s a group that can compare with any other trio and, in addition to the ‘20 quartet that included Jameson Williams, could end up going down as the top WR group in FBS history. It’s a reality that provides valuable context to the fact that Olave finished third in receptions (65) and yards (936) last season. Chris did lead the group with 13 TDs, but his true value to the team and to the development of Wilson and JSN cannot be evaluated with numbers.

Judging by being honored as a First Team All-American (AFCA), Second Team All-American (AP, Walter Camp and FWAA) and First Team All-Big Ten, it’s safe to say that Olave’s value during his final season was properly appreciated. Approach the following table with caution. We typically want to see our percentile entries on the high-end. Not the case for wideouts. The day following this year’s draft, I’ll begin work on a piece where I’ll detail a scout’s approach to evaluating talent. The outline of which will center on thresholds. And, as it relates to historical NFL success at the position, the threshold guidelines for WR size actually favor the average kids in the middle.

Combine Measurement Percentiles (Last 10 Seasons)
PlayerHeightWeightBMIArmWingspanChestHand
Chris Olave49th36th36th43rd32nd36th52nd

History has found a soft spot for WRs that measure and scale right around the national averages. What gives? We see so few jumbo-sized and “tiny” wideouts that have been blessed with the truly elite athleticism necessary to make/keep them relevant at the ultimate level that the unusual, “normals” in the male population have literally taken over the league. However, being normal is not going to land you an NFL contract. You either need to develop an otherworldly football IQ – Steve Largent and his 4.7-to-4.9 40 time range comes to mind – or you need to be a freak of athleticism. The following table (kinda) tells the tale of Olave:

NFL Combine Athletic Testing Percentiles (Last 10 Seasons)
Player40-Yard Dash20-Split10-SplitPro Shuttle3-ConeVerticalBroadBench
Chris Olave75th98th100thDNPDNP28th49thDNP

Like Wilson, Olave only elected to run his 40 once at the most recent NFL Combine. He also chose to sit out the Pro Shuttle, 3-Cone and 225-pound Bench Press in order to focus on his team interviews. As if that weren’t enough, Olave also declined to improve upon his Vertical Jump or to provide one of the missing measurements at Ohio State’s Pro Day on March 23. However, tapping into one of the many useful values from tracking pre-college athletic testing, we have verified measurements of 4.19-seconds in the Shuttle and 34.5-inches in the Vertical. When placed alongside NFL Combine WRs from the last 10 seasons, those numbers would measure in the 55th- and 40th-percentile, respectively.

Most of all, we know Olave improved his 40-time from 4.73 seconds to 4.39 seconds while packing around an additional 27 pounds of body weight. That type of athletic development is just freakish. If we tap into a little imagination and take a gander at his game film, it’s a near guarantee that Olave would have recorded a sub-4.00 Shuttle from the 4.19 we have on the record. A 3.99-second timing would place him in the 79th-percentile.

Before we get too carried away with our imaginations, let’s dig into the actual footage to build our expectations. Let’s begin with analysis when the ball is already in Olave’s hands. Let’s get it right out there at the beginning: Chris is not a twitchy YAC monster like Garrett Wilson. We can see the most glaring example on quick outs when Olave is monumentally more effective with a designed blocker leading the way. On empty throws to the flat, closing corners crowding Olave prevent him from accelerating his speedometer.

We see the equipment spectacle from Olave on routes where the throw is delivered in stride. His smooth redirections in the open field not only keeps the yardage-clock rolling, he abuses the surrounding traffic’s momentum with sudden cuts on his path to the end zone. By the way, Olave’s nickname happens to be Mr. Smooth. In the spirit of Marvin Harrison and the wideouts made famous by the Greatest Show on Turf, Olave already recognizes when to step out of bounds or to get down to avoid unnecessary contact.

He makes an instant transition from the catch point to the turn into downfield moves. Prior to kicking into high gear, we’ll occasionally see Chris bust out his stop-and-go jump cuts. Olave’s future OC will have a lot of fun scheming ways to get him the ball. We saw a few of those as a considerable Jet Sweep and slide route threat. Above all, the YAC trait that stands out is Olave’s extraordinary sideline balance. You don’t have to look very deep for a litany of examples inside his various highlight reels floating about.

Specific Coverage Scheme Specialty/Success
PlayerSchemeFPs/Route△FPs/Route% of Routes% of Receptions% of Yardage% of TDs
Chris OlaveCover 40.82+22%16%20%26%23%

Let’s kick it up a notch by assessing one of the receiving features Olave will be graded on toward the end of the write-up: the release. Checking out the fundamentals for this profile, we’ll use the information from Olave’s tape as a kind of checklist. Olave’s chin is always positioned directly over his front knee pre-snap. He also waits with a heavy, forward lean. Perfect. Shifting to his get-off foundation, while currently packing a lean build, opponents are going to want to redirect Olave at the line to give the pass rush extra time to get home so that it neutralizes his speed.

During the press attempts we have from Olave, the back leg is consistently the first movement after the snap. Check. With his lightning-fast wiggle, he always attempts to influence the CBs shoulders and hips to the wrong side. Check. And Chris is ready to use his strong hands to both slap those of his opponents away and to knock his combatant off balance. After that, Olave engages his keen understanding of the importance to either get around and stack the CB to the outside or to maintain inside leverage over the middle of the field (MOF – scouting acronym). While he may not have the physical strength of an NFL veteran, his speed to torch failed jams on flys and posts will leave most CBs tasked with pressing him a tad on the concerned side.

When Olave did his work against off-coverage, we discover some aspects in need of improvement. For the most part, Chris will split CBs down the middle to try to keep their hips square for as long as possible. Pointing out one issue, we have a handful of examples on timing routes where we see Olave submit to an inside leverage advantage. Giving that up places considerable pressure on the QB to make perfect throws. Moving on, while Olave attacks the midline of the CB to keep his hips square, he can chew up the cushion with his incredible burst. As he approaches, the CB comes under pressure to react and forces him to guess on his hip turn.

Deeper into games, when they are fed up with Olave, CBs will quit guessing, turn their hips right at the snap and retreat, hoping to catch Olave in a vertical stem. That sets the stage for Olave to work in, out and back without any resistance. On the occasions where a CB matches Olave’s speed on a vertical and prevents him from stacking or taking the leverage advantage, Chris is crafty in waiting until the very last moment to show his hands. We even have a few examples where Olave has overwhelmed his defensive back counterpart with the frequent hip-turn influences, resulting in those primary DBs being led on a path directly into their teammates.

Future Success Based on Collegiate Coverage Shell Experience/Success
PlayerCover 1Cover 2Cover 3Cover 4Cover 6Red Zone
Chris Olave✅ ✅✅ ✅ ✅✅ ✅ ✅✅ ✅ ✅✅ ✅ ✅

First impression might be that we see too many green checks in the table above. For reference, the boxes will be populated by a red graphic when clear deficiencies are present. Only one FBS WR among the 226 on the record in the ‘22 class is found ahead of Olave in combined average FPs/route rank against the five most common NFL coverage schemes (Cover 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6): Justyn Ross. If we also include the rankings from inside the red zone into the average number, Olave has his head above the entire class. Consider that, when attacking the red zone during his OSU career, Olave scored 15-of-35 TDs (43%). That’s a level of excellence that extends far beyond consideration as an anomaly. Still think there’s too many green checks in his boxes?

While coverage shell success will not be graded in this evaluation beyond what’s in the table above, it will be a heavily weighted factor for the team that drafts him. In addition to his lightning-fast feet and blazing straight-line speed, the list of specialties for Olave also include his precision mastery while attacking zone weaknesses. Mr. Smooth overwhelms the shallow vulnerable zones in Cover 3, 4 and 6 on crossers underneath completely overmatched curl and hook LBs. Olave is able to reach and turn the corner far too quickly for those LBs in pursuit to cut off the sideline.

Optimum Comparison Career Path (5-foot-11 to 6-foot-1 & 180-200 lbs.)
PlayerGamesReceptionsRec/GReceiving YardsYPGYPRTDTD/G
Marvin Harrison1901,1025.8014,58076.713.231280.67
Tim Brown2551,0944.2914,93458.613.651000.39
Isaac Bruce2231,0244.5915,20868.214.85910.41
Reggie Wayne2111,0705.0714,34568.013.41820.39
Antonio Brown1469286.3612,29184.213.24830.57
Torry Holt1739205.3213,38277.414.55740.43
Irving Fryar2558513.3412,78550.115.02840.33
Steve Largent2008194.1013,08965.415.981000.50
Davante Adams1166695.778,12170.012.14730.63
Stefon Diggs1035955.787,38371.712.41480.47
Calvin Ridley1602834.724,33972.315.33350.58
Will Fuller V2712864.034,85368.416.97570.80
Chris Olave3602694.484,47574.616.64611.02

1Two seasons of data from Monarch High School and three seasons from the University of Alabama

2Three seasons of data from Roman Catholic High School and three seasons from the University of Notre Dame

3One season of data from Mission Hills High School and four seasons from Ohio State University

Let’s keep the ball rolling with a look at Olave’s route precision. Showcasing what he’s learned during his years of being coached, Chris makes every attempt to neutralize corner leverage within the first few steps of his route. Once Olave is at even depth with a CB, he swiftly engages a stack. A QBs best friend, WR stacking offers up optimum passing angles. A rarity for a speed merchant, Olave is game to mix it up physically at the top of his routes. Olave’s well short of 6-foot-7, but it still reminds of watching Reggie Miller scrapping it up with his much thicker opponents.

Be that as it may, Olave’s willing attitude doesn’t eliminate the fact that he can get muscled around by physical corners that are skilled enough to replicate his routes. At this stage in his development, that’s one of the areas where Olave needs the most seasoning. The other is a near mirror image to that of teammate Garrett Wilson’s bad habit of gradually rounding his out-breaking patterns. When Olave does sharpen his out-breakers, the vertical respect he demands expands no matter the opponent. Already sinking his hips in order to explode out of his breaks, he just needs a touch of coaching to eliminate those rounded tells.

Olave is a serious threat to use speed to split two-deep safeties on every play. It’s obvious that he loves to sit for work in front of deep safeties. Due to the cushion provided out of respect for his vertical game, Olave is nearly unguardable on comebacks. It’s essentially hitch/curl season whenever Olave wants to take advantage. Imagine a version of Will Fuller V with a spotless health record and that takes the time to work underneath. It’s not a common quality for a player of Olave’s talents. In fact, he’s become quite crafty converting using his third-down-and-sit mentality. And Chris has found a nice level of success using the entire catalog of designed screens to the flat.

A pattern of softening up the defense on underneath work (designed screens, outs, button hooks and, his specialty, shallow drags) emerged with the purpose of rocking CBs to sleep for the coup de grâce over the top. With that in mind, you’ll notice Olave’s gap in production between 20-and-29 yards in the table below. Those numbers are absolutely by design.

Chris Olave's 2021 Receiving Breakdown
Gain% of Catches% of Yardage% of TDs
Goal-to-Go6%2%23%
10-1940%37%15%
20-293%5%8%
30+14%41%54%

Now let’s jump over to Olave’s separation and ball tracking. The coaching staff in Columbus must be slipping a tonic into the water cooler to the benefit of their receivers. Many of Olave’s fluid, flexible movements are lost when viewed from one angle. His ever-so-subtle change of directions and slight speed alterations are devastatingly effective in misleading the hips of defensive backs. The slightest of hip turns in the wrong direction can result in being plastered inside highlights that will never be removed from memory.

Many of those false movements are due to Olave’s twitchy burst on his stutter steps prior to route breaks. The result can be a defender’s worst nightmare: textbook coverage punished with the worst possible outcome — see the TD catch around the 8:30 mark in Q2 at Indiana in Week 8. Albeit prior to having the opportunity to properly evaluate Christian Watson’s tape, Olave pairs with Jameson Williams as the most dangerous vertical threats in the class.

Why would a CB permit Olave to take a free release when the design calls for him being redirected off the line? Burned safety’s have brought those exact questions to the responsible corners. Olave is nothing short of unstoppable on free releases. And that is going to instantly translate, however many times safety’s are left out to dry against Olave. Attempts to match a safety across from Olave – even if aligned deep – are a glutton for punishment. If he’s ever even, Olave’s leavin.’ Don’t assume Chris isn’t all over recognizing that safety assignment, we have so many examples of Olave properly surveying the zone pre-snap to approximate his spacing in order to limit that safety’s closing potential.

Now that Olave has established separation and he’s tracking the throw, what can we expect from his ball skills? First of all, Chris makes it a point to snatch the ball out of the air with authority. He has excellent hand-eye coordination allowing him to pluck 50/50 balls away from defenders. The body contortion on some of his catches are mind-boggling. He makes tight-window collections appear routine — see his 30-yard TD catch on fourth down at the Q3 7:55 mark in Week 6 vs. Maryland and 8:50 in Q4 against Michigan in Week 13 for some perfect examples. He also employs a flawless over-the-shoulder technique that benefits from carrying his routes through the throw.

We see Olave frequently using a timing leap just prior to the catch when working over the MOF to maximize his catch concentration. He may not have an elite standing vertical, but Olave showcases very good leap timing and more than enough hops on the run to high-point effectively. Like Wilson and Smith-Njigba, Olave has already spent at least the last two seasons making every in-game effort to get both feet in bounds. But, as mentioned earlier, Chris will need to put in work to build the next phase of his functional strength. Alas, Olave is unlikely to be a volume receiver during his first season in the NFL. But his decent-sized, strong hands will ensure he sees a portion of the targets significant enough for WR3 consideration from Day 1.

Receiving Tool Grades
PlayerReleaseRoute PrecisionSeparationImprovisationTrackingBall Skills
Chris Olave878699909996

The cat is already out of the bag on his grades (table above), so we’ll quickly move through the details of Olave’s improvisation. Proper recognition when the QB is on the move is essential for a high evaluation. And Olave never rests when the ball is live. He’s always fighting to create a target for his QB. Excellent hand-fighting techniques, Olave never hesitates to engage his willing physicality to create some space. His routine involves giving defenders a subtle shove in order to find a path back to his QB.

Chris provided several examples of his supreme concentration to secure contested scramble drill throws. In addition, Olave is very crafty at identifying busted coverages pre-snap. On those plays, Chris will instantly work off design into a hot read without any visible pre-snap audible from his QB. On those plays, if not for a pair of off-target throws, Olave should have concluded the ‘21 season with 15 receiving TDs.

While not emotionally aggressive by any means but, unlike Wilson, Olave will display his arms-up, “what gives?” disappointment when interference flags he expects aren’t dropped. Not that we should consider his fierce passion for the game as any type of negative, but it’s impossible to predict if an emotional drive will lead to greatness, or become prey to the wrong type of influences in the NFL.

Let’s close out the assessment of Olave with some data. Olave has been extremely effective from three-wide sets, but he’s gone nuclear with heavy personnel on the field. The additional spacing provided him with nearly a 50% boost to his average YPRR and he also scored almost half of his career TDs as a Buckeye on only 16% of his total routes. He's also been a monster with play action forcing deep safety hesitation, resulting in another near-50% YPRR spike.

If his future team wants to manufacture some really mind-blowing effectiveness from Olave, stack that heavy personnel with play action. While creating a career YPRR average over 7.00, Olave scored over a third of TDs, concentrated more than a fourth of his yardage and he collected that production on only 9% of his career routes. Over his last two seasons, Olave hasn’t dropped a single throw traveling at least 20 air yards (37 targets, 12 TDs). In fact, he only dropped seven passes on 247 targets during his entire OSU career (97.2% catch rate).

In a normal season, Olave is clearly sitting toward the top of everyone’s rookie draft wishlist. We have a unique situation with this class. It will not be surprising whatsoever if up to 13 WRs are selected among the first 45 picks. If Olave ends up being drafted with a top-15 pick, the cat will be out of the bag. If he is somehow slept on until the 20’s, we will have a massive value opportunity on our hands.

You’ll see a couple names dropped in the comp details below. If Age 22 versions of those names aren’t enough to get you out of bed with your pick in the late first, check to make sure that pulse is ticking. After Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III and Garrett Wilson are off the board, Olave should be the next name on the tip of your tongue, independent of the format – yes, even in standard and superflex formats. However, considering Olave as the best player available at that point doesn’t mean we need to select him with our 1.04 capital. Trade back a few spots to add another piece, while still scooping in to pick up your future stud.

Chris Olave's Career Production
ReceivingRushingTotal
ClassReceptions/GYPGYPRTD/GYPGTD/GFPG
HS Sophomore1.0014.714.70.100.000.003.7
HS JuniorSat out season due to transfer requirements
HS Senior7.15135.719.02.000.000.0033.2
True Freshman0.8614.116.40.210.000.003.6
True Sophomore3.5060.617.30.860.360.0014.7
True Junior7.14104.114.61.000.000.0023.6
Super Junior5.4278.014.41.08-0.500.0019.7

2021 Video Recommendations: Week 1 at Minnesota, Week 2 vs. Oregon, Week 5 at Rutgers, Week 6 vs. Maryland, Week 9 vs. Penn State, Week 11 vs. Purdue, Week 12 vs. Michigan State and Week 13 at Michigan

Optimal Landing Spots: Needless to state, all 32 teams would benefit from his addition

Film Review Comp (2021): Calvin Ridley

Overall Comp (Factoring size, athleticism, tape and level of collegiate production): Will Fuller V

With a dedicated focus on studying game film and a faithful commitment to metrics & analytics, Huber’s specialties include DFS (college and NFL), Devy & Dynasty formats, and second-to-none fantasy analysis of high school prospects.