Joel Klatt analyzes why he expects Rome Odunze to be a 'mainstay' in NFL
The 2024 NFL Draft is chock full of pass catchers, especially at receiver, who will make an impact for offenses on Sundays. That class includes former Washington WR Rome Odunze as a player that Joel Klatt considers to be a fantastic prospect.
Klatt chose Odunze as his No. 3 pass catcher in this draft during an episode of his show on Monday. He sees a wideout in him that has it all as far as skill set and qualities to be successful.
“Rome is phenomenal,” Klatt said. “Led the country in receiving last year, over 1,600 yards.”
“He is a terrific route runner. He’s very confident once the ball is in the air. He’s terrific down the field and he has got great hands.”
The other word that comes to mind for Klatt regarding Odunze is consistency. He was consistently great for the Huskies, especially in his final season in Seattle and specifically in some of the team’s biggest moments when they needed him most.
“One of the things I loved about Rome Odunze is that when they needed big performances against some of the stiffest competition that they played? He was at his best,” said Klatt.
“He went five for 87 against Michigan and drew a couple of those flags. Like, he was terrific. Check out what he did against Oregon – eight for 128 and two touchdowns in that first game against the Ducks. Seven for 106 and two touches in the rain against Oregon State. Eight for 102 in the Pac-12 title game in the second matchup against Oregon. Six for 125 against Texas in the national semifinal,” Klatt recalled. “This dude showed up, okay?”
Odunze leaves college with 214 catches for 3,272 yards and 24 touchdowns in 40 games. The receptions and yardage are both second in program history while the touchdowns are third-most.
Most of that production came this past fall in his second straight season leading their receiving corps. Odunze caught 92 passes for a nation-leading 1,640 yards and a tie for the fourth-most scores in the country with 13.
Several of these targets in this draft class have the talent and qualities to pan out as players. For Klatt, that clearly includes Odunze as he thinks he’s going to be a league leader that’ll earn all kinds of recognition once he gets to the next level.
“Odunze is going to be a No. 1. I think that he is going to be a mainstay in the National Football League,” said Klatt. “This is another guy that I could see being an All-Pro, being a Pro Bowler right away.