Washington’s Rome Odunze solidifies top prospect status at NFL Combine

Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze exploded at the NFL combine posting one of the most consistent across the board performances locking in his status as a potential top 10 pick.

While quarterback Michael Penix Jr. received the most attention for the success of the Washington Huskies offense this past season, wide receiver Rome Odunze was just as important. Odunze is the leader of the elite Washington receiver trio who all participated in the NFL combine over the weekend.

At this point in the draft process, the first team All-American is essentially locked in as top 15 pick at the very worst. He is consistently mocked to the Chicago Bears with the ninth overall pick, with some projecting him to be selected as high as fourth.

Odunze really just needed to avoid disaster at the combine in order to secure his status. With his competition, top receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers not participating it was a golden opportunity with the spotlight on him and the talented Washington product made sure not to disappoint.

He first made waves with his impressive vertical jump of 39 inches that put him in the top 10 at the position. His broad jump of 10 feet 4 inches was less impressive, but still a solid number. These jumps showcase his excellent explosiveness that translate to the suddenness and quickness he shows in his routes and with the ball in his hands. Odunze routinely put those traits on display, showing that he could elevate over any corner in the country and make excellent grabs.

The 40-yard dash was Odunze’s next obstacle and he responded by posted a 4.45 time with a blistering 1.52 10-yard split. While not the blazing sub-4.4 time that some were predicting, Odunze’s time is more than adequate for a player of his size. The 10-yard split is even more impressive as it shows up on tape with his quickness out of breaks and off the line of scrimmage.

 

Agility drills have declined in interest for most receivers and are not always the most translatable drill to on-field play. But Odunze didn’t get this message as he stayed late, long past when all of the other players had departed the facility to see if he could break the 6.6 three-cone time that he was targeting.

While he was unable to do so, posting a 6.88 second time, this is extremely quick for someone of his build. However, Odunze’s willingness to stay on the field and work to better his time is what will likely stick with NFL teams throughout the process. He has shown on many separate occasions that his work ethic is unmatched.

 

Odunze put together an excellent athletic testing profile with a 9.91 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) that placed him 29th out of all receivers that have tested at the combine since 1987. As a now near lock to be selected in the top 10, it will only be a matter of what uniform Odunze is wearing next season.