Rome Odunze Bigger, Faster Heading into 2023
Any discussion about the top wide receiver prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class that doesn't include Washington's Rome Odunze is a conversation you can safely discard.
One of the most underrated prospects in next year's crop of eligible pass-catchers, Odunze passed up on this year's draft for the opportunity to refine his skill set and get another year of experience under his belt against college competition before making the jump to the next level.
He'll have the benefit of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. also returning for the 2023 season, and Odunze is clearly putting in the offseason work to ensure he makes the most of their reunion.
READ: All Aboard the Rome Odunze Hype Train
Speaking at the Pac-12 media days, Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer told Christian Caple of On Montlake that Odunze will somehow be an even bigger and faster version than the one we saw last season.
“I’ve never seen him faster,” DeBoer told Caple. “He’s clocking in the 4.3s, and (is) as big as I’ve ever seen him.”
Caple says that Odunze has bulked up to 215 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame, and that the former high school track star at Bishop Gorman has been clocked at 4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash during offseason workouts.
That's terrible news for the opposing defenses who struggled to contain Odunze last season, but music to the ears of any NFL team who could need a No. 1 receiver in the first round of next year's draft.