All the dust has settled from the excitement and shenanigans of the 2022 NFL draft, and now six former Ohio State players are focusing on getting into rookie minicamps and beginning the next steps towards starting their NFL careers. And in fact, all six have already inked their rookie contracts, so it’s time to turn the page.
Now that all the smoke and false flag operations that many of the NFL teams throw out there to throw other teams off the scent of what they think of other players are gone, we thought we circle back around and see what NFL.com analyst Brian Baldinger has to say about a couple of the former Buckeyes.
We’ve received thoughts on Garrett Wilson already, and now we’re turning our eye to Chris Olave, who was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the No. 11 pick in the first round of the draft. Here’s what Baldinger told Buckeyes Wire (with a little help from our friends at Rutgers Wire) about the all-time touchdown receptions leader at Ohio State.
“Chris Olave brings four years of experience to the Saints and 35 TDs,” said Baldinger.” “He is a crisp and detailed route runner. His ability to separate at the top of his routes was elite. In addition, he has the size you want at 6-foot, 190-pounds, and running in the 4.3’s (40-yard time). Michael Thomas is still elite but many of his receptions were a deep trust that Drew had in him to win 50/50 balls because of his size and ability to use his body to shield defenders.
“But they (the Saints) had to upgrade the talent level around the QB. They were mostly free-agent types of receivers on the roster since Thomas has missed most of the last two seasons. Olave is pro-ready in the passing game regardless of the starting quarterback to start the season and should be much improved. He reminds me a lot of Stephon Diggs.”
As much upside as Garrett Wilson is thought to have, talk to about any scout or NFL executive out there, and Olave is thought of as the most polished and pro-ready. Don’t be surprised if his first year is better than any other rookie wide receiver out there because of who he is playing with, and the skill set he already has developed.
Brian Baldinger offers a series of courses on CoachTube, an online portal that provides coaching courses for sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. The famed NFL analyst has several courses on CoachTube, including an offensive line series with former NFL coach Bob Wylie as well as several positional breakdowns as part of his football coaching course.
