According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ohio State WR Chris Olave is visiting with the Eagles today ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft.
This should please Eagles fans all over. Even if the Birds don’t end up taking Olave with one of their first-round picks, the fact that they’re doing their due diligence on wideouts of that caliber should speak volumes. Don’t be surprised if Roseman does end up taking a wideout with one of his opening three or four picks.
As for Olave himself, he could well be the perfect partner for DeVonta Smith. He’s coming off a 936-yard season where he recorded 13 touchdowns, making his decision to return to the Buckeyes for one last rodeo a very good one.
He stands at 6’0 187 lbs, and ran a 4.39 40-yard dash. He’s a crisp route-runner who excels in press coverage and is able to use his impressive agility to burst in and out of his breaks. He understands how to find leverage against zonal defenses and has saucy body control. Ideally, he’s going to project as a Z-receiver who can stretch the field and make his money on those play-action looks where a safety bites on a route underneath.
This bodes well for an Eagles team who are looking to find a way to improve the efficiency of not only DeVonta Smith, but Dallas Goedert as well. They could go for a big-bodied target to help give Jalen Hurts more help in the way of someone who can bail out his QB, but Olave’s ability to work back to the ball is just as important. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Olave may not be the perfect fit in terms of finding that big physical wideout who can haul in jump-balls, but he provides a glimpse of what Quez Watkins could one day become and is only 21-years-old. If the Eagles want that kind of burner to thrive immediately in their offense, letting Watkins work as a WR4 behind Olave and Smith wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire
