University of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze is widely expected to be one of the first players off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, regardless of position. He might well be the second or third wideout drafted, behind presumptive top wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
After racking up 95 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Huskies last season -- following up his 75-catch, 1,145-yard, seven-score campaign with an even better year -- Odunze looks the part of a top-10 selection. And coming into the draft, he knows exactly who he wants to play like once he enters the league: Las Vegas Raiders star Davante Adams.
"I do a lot of his split release technique. I'm still learning, still trying to figure out how he's so twitchy with it. I'm still getting there," Odunze said of Adams during his media availability at the NFL Combine. "But his size, his route-running ability, his contested-catch ability -- I like to compare myself to him."
#Washington WR Rome Odunze compares himself to #Raiders WR Davante Adams 👀 pic.twitter.com/1Aqa5z02Qr
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) March 1, 2024
Adams is listed at 6-1, 215 pounds. Odunze hasn't gone through his measurements at the combine yet, but he was listed at 6-3, 215 by Washington last season. So, the size is there. And on field, the route-running and contested-catch ability are as well.
As for whether he'll eventually have the type of success Adams did in the league, that's something we can't know until we see him in action. But there are very few better players for a wide receiver to emulate.
