Former Washington Huskies star receiver Rome Odunze spoke to the media Friday in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine.
Here’s everything Odunze told those in attendance.
On winning the Pac-12 Championship in his hometown of Las Vegas:
Oh, man, that’s probably one of my best college memories that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. Being able to win a Pac-12 championship with my crew that I went to Seattle, ventured off as a young man to go build a family out there, came back to the city, took it over with a championship with 80 of my family members watching. Man, it don’t get much better than that.
On where his love for sports came from:
I think it just started when I was a kid. I was always a competitor, you know. The first sport I ever played was who can go touch the fence and get back the quickest in elementary school recess. From that point, I was always into PE. That was my favorite period of the day. Favorite subject in school. So any time I was able to play basketball or play a different sport or of course, when football season was around, I was always included. I think that’s something that’s just continued to grow as I became more and more of a competitor.
On what he would consider a successful NFL career:
I think a successful career would be ending in the Hall of Fame. I want to go at least 10 years. That’s probably, hopefully what it’ll take. But being one of the best ever playing the game and ending up in the Hall of Fame.
On potentially teaming up with USC quarterback Caleb Williams:
Yeah, definitely. You know, I got to see Caleb firsthand. I got to see his talents and abilities. So yeah, definitely. He has an incredible talent and I know he’s a student of the game and someone who brings a lot of passion and a lot of desire to the game. So of course, to be paired up with him, it would be something special.
On meeting with the New York Giants, who hold the sixth overall pick:
It was good, it was good. The Giants are good people. They were laughing in there a bit. They were quizzing me on some film. Getting to know who I was and I was getting to know them and I think it went well. I was excited to meet them. I feel like they’re good dudes, honestly. They just seemed like they had joy in the room. That they were excited about the process. They knew ball, of course, and were excited about their future as well. So, I think good things to come.
On what event he’d add to the NFL Combine:
A video game circuit. You know, test your cognitive ability, how fast your reaction skills are. You know, you gotta go into Warzone. If you don’t get top five, you’re automatically cut.
On if he thinks birds are real:
Yeah, everything but the pigeons. Pigeons are fake. I’ve never seen a baby pigeon.
On if he thinks he could land a plane in case of emergency:
Absolutely not. We are going down. All souls have perished.
On what makes him the best wide receiver in the draft class:
I just think my versatility on the field. I think I’ve shown all the skills that can translate to the NFL at a high level in different facets of my game. And I think who I am as a person, who I will be to a locker room while being in the community are all a plus.
On what his “trump card” as a player is:
I would just say how much of a student I am of the game. I’m always willing to learn, always willing to understand that there’s room for improvement regardless of where I’m at in my career. So I’ll say that.
On where his comfort at the podium comes from:
Oh, I don’t know. It probably comes from these guys up front, the UW social media team. They always putting cameras in my face and making me do things that I don’t want to do. So, no, it probably comes from them. And I don’t know, man. I mean, y’all people just like I’m people, right? It’s just fun to be up here, be in this position and be able to talk to y’all.
On the potential influence DeAndre Hopkins could have if he was drafted by the Tennessee Titans:
Oh, it would be a huge influence. You know, at every point in my career, high school, college, I had guys above me that ended up doing great things. I had NFL players at my high school. I had Puka Nacua come before me at UW. So I feel like it would just be part of the journey, having a guy like that, a vet like that, who would teach me a bunch of different things.
On his most underrated trait:
I think a lot of people underrate my speed, my explosiveness. I see a lot of that on my tape, and my separation as well. I don’t know where some of those things come from. I feel like if you watched the entire tape, then you’d go see.
On if he feels competitive with the other top receivers in the draft class:
Absolutely. You know, that’s what it’s about. Saying you’re the best and going and competing for it. And I do feel that way. So of course, it’s a competition, but also man, all these dudes are ballers. So I’m just super honored to be a part of the conversation and super grateful to be able to compete against guys like that. I’m a fan of their game as well.
On why he decided to participate in all testing in Indianapolis:
For me, it was about being able to compete against generations before, generations to come, and be able to see where I stack up against all those people. And I feel like it’s a one time thing that you can do once in your life. So I just want to do it to the fullest and it’s something that I feel like I can excel at. So that’s why I decided.
On his approach on contested catches:
For me, it’s the approach. You know, people say it’s 50/50. For me, it’s 100/0, right? And I feel like you have to go in with that mindset that it’s you and the ball. That the defender’s not even there. That if you go and elevate and go snag the ball, then you’ll ultimately come down with it.
On his approach at the line of scrimmage:
You know, trying to create separation with your hands and feet and setting up the defender. I mean, just get jiggy. You gotta be explosive, gotta be twitchy in those settings to create some separation. Keep the defense, the defender, on their toes. Just, you know, not doing the expected.
On his thoughts on former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb being hired by the Seahawks and if he’s spoken to Grubb since he was hired in Seattle:
I have. He’s congratulated me on this event and all those things. So it’s an honor. I’m super excited to see him. And I know he’ll kill it with the Seahawks with a great staff and a great roster. So I’m excited to see.
On his NFL comparison:
I say [Las Vegas Raiders receiver] Davante Adams. I do a lot of his split release technique, and I’m still learning, still trying to figure out how he’s so twitchy with it. I’m still getting there, but with his size, with his route running ability and his catch ability as well, I like to compare myself to him.
On his impression of this year’s wide receiver class:
I think the class is deep and I think we’ll storm into the league and hopefully have a lot of success. I feel like there’s a lot of determined guys in the class. I feel like this class, we got a lot of height. I feel like the league, some of the wide receivers in the league today, are moving towards those small guys who are quick, who are in and out. But I feel like this class has a bunch of 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3, six foot whatever the hell Johnny Wilson is, guys that are big and athletic as well. So I feel like we’re bringing in a different spectacle.
On where he makes his money as a receiver:
Everywhere, everywhere. I mean, last season, I think it was a lot of money on the back shoulder fade with Michael Penix, building that connection. That was one of the big ones. But anywhere I feel like you put me on the field, I’ll go make a play.
On what made Michael Penix Jr. so special to play with:
Man, just his arm talent, you know. Who he is as a person, and to know his story, his perseverance through injury. He was a Heisman – almost, pretty much – a Heisman candidate in Indiana before he got injured and was dragged through the mud and was able to come out the other side as another Heisman candidate and nearly a national champion.
On his experience at the national championship:
It was awesome, super grateful for it. You know, we got there. We were perfect here through a lot of struggle, through a lot of hardship, to get to that point. And at the end of the day, we didn’t win it. Kudos to Michigan for going and taking it. But I’m super grateful for that experience. But if I could have it any way, I’d have a ring on my finger.
On reaching the combine with both teammates from Washington and Bishop Gorman, his high school:
Oh, it’s a blessing. To be able to go through the experience with your brothers who you bled next to, it’s awesome. You know, that’s what football is all about, that brothership, that partnership with one another that you go through all these struggles with and have success with.
On the trip back to Seattle from Arizona with his mom and the training staff after breaking a rib and puncturing a lung:
Yeah, long. Long, long. 23 something hours. I had to make multiple stops. It was like a three-legged race with my mom and some of the trainers, just taking turns driving. So yeah, it was long. It was a little painful having to go be in that car for that long. Especially after the injury, but you know, something that I had to do to get back to my boys, get back to my team, to get right forward.
On why he returned for the 2023 season instead of declaring for last year’s draft:
Well, you know, I kind of missed a year with the COVID coming in 2020. I was only able to play four games in the west side of the country with everything pretty much on lockdown. So I felt like I still had more to prove. It felt like people weren’t recognizing the talent that I had. I felt like I had an opportunity to come back and show that, as well as all my teammates coming back. We hadn’t won a Pac-12 championship, hadn’t won any sort of bowl game except the Alamo Bowl. So you know, to come back, be with my team, to improve my stock, let people know that I really do this, was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
On his familiarity with Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore:
A good bit, definitely would like to play with him. He’s a baller, especially last season with his yards after catch, his ability to make a big play, big fan of DJ.
On what he’s looking for in an NFL team:
A good quarterback is always nice, you know. Someone who’s a vet and has proven himself in the quarterback room. The quarterback is a tough position to secure in the NFL. It’s pretty much one of the biggest factors of giving me the ball and my success as well. So I’ll probably say quarterback.
On what NFL teams are getting in his teammates Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk:
Oh man, they get ballers. Students of the game as well as me, people who take this craft, who take this art seriously. Every single little detail that, at the wide receiver position, they’re trying to improve on every time they step on the field. They have the mindset, just like me, that every time the ball is in the air, they’re going to go and take it. Definitely a different skill set in both of them, but a skill set that can improve any team that they should go on.