The 2022 NFL Draft takes place April 28-30 this year, emanating LIVE from Las Vegas, Nevada. As it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. General manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 26th overall selection. Over the next few months, your boy “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley will be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to or who make sense for the Titans. Today, we’re lookin’ at Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave.
Considering I still feel like wide receiver should be the call in the first round, I haven’t written about an awful lot of receivers – just Jahan Dotson and Jalen Tolbert. So, let’s fix that today. Let’s break down a guy that if you were to put a gun to my head today and ask me who I want the pick at #26 to be, I’d say his name. Even with the trade for Robert Woods that the Titans pulled off, I still think there’s room for another weapon to really round out and complete this passing game – they have a bona fide superstar in AJ Brown, they have a premiere WR2 in Woods, good depth in the re-signing of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and a more steadying presence at tight end in Austin Hooper. The pieces are there, but they need just one more truly explosive guy to make this a more formidable passing attack. That’s where Olave could be the final piece to the puzzle.
Olave has had a decorated career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s shown up on All-Big Ten teams each of the last three seasons – third team in 2019, and then back-to-back first-team seasons in 2020 and 2021. He earned second team All-American honors this past season as well. His 35 receiving touchdowns are an Ohio State record. He has widely been considered one of the best receiving prospects throughout this whole draft process – which is pretty interesting to think about given how most guys fluctuate, rising up and falling down draft boards on a weekly basis. He’s been a steady “first round” type of presence for awhile now.
My concerns about how the Titans would evaluate Olave and why they might ultimately decide to pass on him even if he his there at #26 are centered around his lack of powerful play strength, and his weaknesses as a run blocker. He’s not the most physical guy by any stretch of the imagination, and we all know that the Titans love their big physical wide receivers. So, stylistically speaking, he might not be the ideal type of guy that the Titans covet. But, there’s still plenty about his game to spark intrigue.
Namely, for me, it’s his speed and his smooth route running that make him such a weapon. Not just in terms of raw ability either – but it’s the way he uses his speed, showing nice burst when he needs to separate, nice adjustment to the ball in the air, and an ability to dodge contact in the open field with the ball in his hands. Same with the route running – it’s not just using his balance and technique to run crisp routes, but it’s his understanding of when to break on a defensive back and the variety of ways he can do it (accelerate past them, hitch, curl, whatever – Olave can do it) that make him such an interesting prospect to me. Between his speed and savvy, Olave looks like a big-play factory to me.
There’s a good chance Olave isn’t there at #26. But, if he were to slide to the Titans, he’d be the ideal pick in my book. Above all else, I love what his skillset would allow the Titans to do with the passing game. Now, of course, it’s on Todd Downing and Tim Kelly to make it happen, but Olave would be a dynamic presence on a team that already has some real firepower on offense. He’s the quintessential “shiny new toy to play with.” Again, I don’t think he fits the bill in terms of what the Titans seem to look for in a receiver, so I’d caution fans to not get their hopes up here. Hit the highlights to check out more of his big-play potential.
Further Reading: The Draft Network’s scouting report on Chris Olave
2022 TITANS FIRST ROUND OPTIONS
- Jahan Dotson
- Zion Johnson
- Tyler Linderbaum
- Roger McCreary
- Trey McBride
- Trevor Penning
- Desmond Ridder
- Jalen Tolbert
- Jalen Wydermyer
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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