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)
AP - By Guerry Smith
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints used their first-round picks in the NFL draft to address offensive needs, trading to move up Thursday night and select Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave before taking offensive tackle Trevor Penning of Northern Iowa.
The Saints drafted Olave at No. 11 after trading their third- and fourth-round picks to the Washington Commanders and moving up five spots. New Orleans then landed Penning with the 19th overall pick.
Olave, who caught 65 passes for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, became the highest pick the Saints have used on a receiver since Wes Chandler went third in 1978. Olave is also the first receiver New Orleans has drafted in the opening round since Brandin Cooks at No. 20 in 2014.
To get Olave, New Orleans gave the No. 16, No. 98 and No. 120 overall selections to the Commanders.
Olave set an Ohio State record with 35 career receiving touchdowns, the fourth most in Big Ten history, and ranks third on the school’s all-time list in catches (176) and fifth in receiving yards (2,711). He was a second-team All-America selection in 2021 and a two-time All-Big Ten pick.
Full Story - AP
