Rome Odunze – Page 14 – Syndication Server

Lions draft: 10 early candidates to be Detroit’s 1st-round pick in 2024

An early look at 10 prospects who figure to appeal to the Detroit Lions with their top pick in the 2024 NFL draft

The college football season is quickly coming to an end, believe it or not. That means the draft prospect evaluation season is really starting to heat up.

Normally, the NFL draft is a bigger priority amongst Lions fans at this time of the year. And while the scouting staff has been operating like always, the success of the 7-2, first-place Lions has put the draft on the back burner for most fans.

In looking ahead at the 2024 NFL draft, which will take place in Detroit next April, the draft range for the Lions top pick figures to be in the 25-32 overall range of the first round. Picking that much later opens up a lot more possibilities for the Lions and what player(s) they might target.

Here are 10 prospects who appear to fit what the Lions want in a prospect and would fill a need on the Detroit roster. It’s just an early look at who the Lions figure to have some interest in drafting with their top pick. They are listed here in alphabetical order.

Rome Odunze will be the best receiver USC has faced all season

USC will have its hands full here.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr and receiver Rome Odunze have been clicking on all cylinders this 2023 season. That’s a huge part of the season Washington comes into its game against USC with a lofty ranking. The Huskies are ranked as the No. 5 team in the nation, averaging 46 points per game.

Odunze has pulled in 51 catches for 907 yards and 7 touchdowns this season. His receiving totals currently rank fourth nationally in terms of yards per game, at 113.4. Against Alex Grinch’s poor defense, which gave up 49 points to Cal on the road last week, there’s a strong chance Rome could go off this Saturday night against the Trojans.

If Washington junior receiver Jalen McMillan can overcome a knee injury and play again for the Huskies, he would provide Washington’s offense a significant boost and help Odunze get open in the USC secondary.

Odunze projects as a late first-round or early second-round pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft. Let’s see if this game against USC changes that projection, one way or another.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Where Troy Franklin stands in mid-season Biletnikoff Award betting odds

A look at where Oregon Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin stands in the mid-season betting odds for the Biletnikoff Award.

It doesn’t feel like wide receivers on the West Coast are getting the recognition that they deserve, nationally at least.

While you can look at the Heisman Trophy betting odds heading into November and see Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. near the top of the list, you rarely hear anyone talk about Oregon’s Troy Franklin, or Washington’s Rome Odunze, despite them having better stats than Harrison at this point in the season.

There may be some East Coast bias built into the conversation, but it’s at least comforting to look at betting odds and see that both Franklin and Odunze are getting some respect when it comes to the sportsbooks.

Heading into the final month of the regular season, FanDuel Sportsbook released odds for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the college football season’s outstanding FBS receiver. Here’s where the Ducks’ leading receiver stacks up against the other top pass-catchers in the nation when it comes to odds to win the award:

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Top 2024 WR prospects proved themselves in CFB Week 7

The 2024 draft class is loaded at wide receiver and many of the top prospects showed why in CFB Week 7

There is still a lot of college football to be played this season, but already the draft class of 2024 is looking loaded at wide receiver. Several of the top prospects at wideout had big games in matchups during Week 7 of college football, boosting their draft credentials in a variety of ways across the CFB landscape.

5 Washington Huskies Oregon needs to watch for on Saturday

In all honesty, we could have gone with a dozen of players for this 5 opponents article featuring the Washington Huskies. But we had to keep it down with the obvious for the No. 6 team in the nation and a team that will present Oregon’s biggest challenge of the season.

Unlike USC, the Huskies are very good on both sides of the ball. They also have a coaching staff that knows what it is doing, which is a far cry from the previous leadership under Jimmy Lake. Washington is a bonafide national championship contender and for the first time in the series history, both teams come into the game ranked in the Top 10 in both the AP and Coaches poll.

Fortunately, Oregon has a team that is very capable of going on the road and defeating a club such as this. But the Ducks will have to pay a little extra attention to these five Dawgs in Oregon to avoid the first loss of the season.

Lions full 2024 NFL mock draft: The first set of projections

The first edition of the Lions’ 2024 mock draft projections

With four games in the books and a better idea of both needs and projected draft order, it’s time for the first edition of the Lions Wire’s 2024 mock draft.

Detroit is 3-1 and currently holds the No. 25 overall pick in the first round, based on the NFL standings after Week 4. This projection covers all the rounds. Obviously, it’s still early in the draft process, making this more about ideas and prospects than predictions. The players here are ballparked in terms of where they appear to project (as of October 5th) in the 2024 NFL draft, which will be held in Detroit in April.

The first two rounds are taken directly from my first full NFL mock draft for 2024 over at Draft Wire. This should help sort out some questions about player availability for those picks.

Ranking the top WRs in Pac-12 at midway point of 2023 season

The QBs get all of the shine in the Pac-12, but the conference is also home to some of the nation’s best receivers.

The 2023 college football regular season is nearly halfway complete, and in the Pac-12, it has been one of the most memorable seasons we’ve seen in a long, long time. From Heisman Trophy-contending quarterbacks to offenses that put up more points than anyone in the nation, it’s clear that the Pac-12 saved the best for last as they aim to go out on top in this final year of the conference’s existence. While it may not technically be the exact midpoint of the season for another week, we are going to take this bye-week opportunity for the Oregon Ducks to take stock of the top performers in the conference and see where everyone stands.

There’s a case to be made that the talent at the wide receiver position is on par with the quarterback talent in the Pac-12, which is certainly saying something when you consider the fact that the top three candidates to win the Heisman Trophy are all QBs from out west, per FanDuel Sports Book.

Nearly every school can boast that it has one great receiver in its arsenal. What separates the teams from being good to great is having more than one wideout who is NFL quality and will be playing on Sundays in the near future.

It’s no coincidence that the top teams such as USC, Washington, and Oregon just happen to possess a multitude of guys who not only can catch the ball, but know what to do once the ball is in their hands.

But teams such as Washington State, Arizona and Colorado also have talent at the position, which makes this conference so good in 2023.

At this midpoint in the season, we wanted to put a ranking next to the best pass-catchers in the conference. Here are the Top 10 receivers in the Pac-12 after Week 5.

Top 50 prospects for the 2024 NFL draft for the beginning of fall

Updating the top 50 prospects for the 2024 NFL draft for the beginning of fall

Summer is falling into autumn on the calendar. While it might not feel like it in many places, the autumnal equinox will take place early Saturday morning.

That means summer football is over for the vast majority of college teams and 2024 NFL draft prospects. It’s a good time to take stock and re-rank the top 50 prospects on the overall 2024 big board.

These rankings are based on current observational grades and do not necessarily reflect the order in which they will be taken. That’s what mock drafts are for…

Top NFL prospects for Ravens to watch during Week 1 of college football season

We’re looking at the top NFL Draft prospects for the Baltimore #Ravens fans to watch during Week 1 of college football season via @Thacover2NFL

With the college football season set to get underway, the Ravens and 31 other teams will spend their last free Saturday of the year scouting potential 2024 NFL draft picks.

The team has seven picks in next April’s drafft after Baltimore sent their 2024 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round pick that was used to select USC offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees.

With some big-named stars looking to show out in front of NFL scouts, we’re previewing some of the top prospects for the Ravens to watch during Week 1.

2024 NFL draft watch list: Wide receiver prospects for the New Orleans Saints

2024 NFL draft watch list: Wide receiver prospects for the New Orleans Saints to pair with Chris Olave | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints drafted Chris Olave in the first round of the NFL draft last year and it worked to great success. Despite that move, many people still consider the Saints to have one of the weaker groups in the league.

The good news is that every receiver class seems to get better than the one before it. That seems to be the case again in 2024, as there are fantastic options no matter where you pick in the first round. With Michael Thomas’ health still looming and Rashid Shaheed still needing to improve as an all around receiver, it might not hurt to add another option.

Here are the names to keep an eye on as the college football season gets started: