Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave holds a jersey after being chosen by the New Orleans Saints with the 11th pick of the NFL football draft Thursday, April 28, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
By Matt Howe
With the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave. In New Orleans, Olave will line up opposite another former Buckeyes star and three time NFL Pro Bowlernin Michael Thomas, making him a prime candidate to have a breakout rookie season, according to ESPN’s Mike Triplett.
"Obviously we should temper expectations for any rookie receiver,” Triplett wrote. “But opportunities don't get much better than this. Olave should play a big role as a No. 2 receiver alongside Michael Thomas in a New Orleans offense starved for another playmaking pass catcher. The Saints felt Olave was the most well-rounded receiver and polished route runner of anyone in this year's class -- which is why they were so aggressive in trading up to get him. And he has the speed to become a downfield target for Jameis Winston. Mike Clay's projection of 62 catches, 903 yards and nine touchdowns seems realistic."
Olave returned to Ohio State for his senior season in 2021 and caught a single-season, career-high 65 passes for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 14.4 per reception and starting all 12 games. In 47 games (24 starts) from 2018-21, Olave totaled 176 catches for 2,711 yards (15.4 average) and 35 touchdowns. Olave is now one of six former Buckeyes on the Saints' roster ahead of the 2022 season, joining Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby, Nick Vannett and Pete Werner. It's obvious the talent evaluators and front office, player personnel-types in New Orleans respect the quality of players Ohio State produces in the draft each and every cycle. ...
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