So what will Chris Olave show us in his second act? The New Orleans Saints wide receiver was wildly impressive as a rookie in 2022, routinely dusting the league’s best cornerbacks off the line of scrimmage and making things look easy in an offense that often wasn’t easy to watch. He’s got a ton of momentum behind him going into 2023, especially after the Saints invested a lot of money in free agent quarterback Derek Carr.
One bold prediction on Olave’s future comes from Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, who has the Saints’ young star leading the league in receiving yards next season. Davenport wrote of Olave:
Olave lost out to former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, but his first season was impressive in its own right—72 catches for 1,042 yards and four scores. Davante Adams was third in the league in receiving yards last year catching passes from Derek Carr. Olave has the talent to follow suit.
Other players on the list include Jacksonville Jaguars number zero-wearer Calvin Ridley and Cleveland Browns wideout Amari Cooper, who should excel with a full year of Deshaun Watson throwing to him, assuming Watson’s rustiness last year was an aberration. But Olave is still on top.
And for good reason. He’s reached rare air very early in his career, matching the pace of yards gained per routes run achieved by superstar receivers like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Odell Beckham Jr, and A.J. Brown. With Carr throwing a high volume of passes his way and Olave benefiting from another year of experience, it’s easy to see why confidence in his game is growing.
Still, how exactly did the Associated Press overlook him for Garrett Wilson in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting? That doesn’t check out. Hopefully they’ll be paying better attention to Olave in 2023 after the AP dropped the ball in 2022.
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