Add one more name to the list of prospects the Pittsburgh Steelers met with at the 2024 NFL Combine. The Steelers were one of several teams Washington WR Rome Odunze met with at the Combine, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport Saturday night.
Reporting after Saturday’s workout wrapped up, Rapoport rattled off a predictable list of teams with top-ten picks who met with Odunze. But the Steelers were among that group, an outlier holding the 20th pick of the draft, far later than where Odunze is projected to go.
“So lets look at some of the teams he met with: The Patriots, the Cardinals, the Giants, the Titans and the Bears are among the intriguing one for me because those are the top ten teams,” Rapoport said. “Also spent some time with the Colts, the Jaguars, the Rams and the Steelers. And the reason why those are interesting is; those would be potential trade up teams. Rarely do you see a huge trade up for a receiver, but not never. Obviously that is something to keep an eye on.”
Odunze took part in testing and drills as the receivers went through their workout during the evening. He posted excellent numbers across the board. Weighing in at 6027, 212 pounds, he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash (1.52 ten-split) with a 39-inch vertical and 10’4″ broad. As captured by NFL Network, long after all the other receivers finished up with their shuttle drills, Odunze attempted the three cone about a half-dozen times, trying to get the best time possible. Despite already completing the drill and having the time, Odunze kept trying to improve his mark. Consider the shuttle drills at the very last thing the players do during the day, after their 40 time, jumps, and on-field drills, it shows a high level of competitiveness.
Ultimately, he turned in a 6.88 three-cone, fourth-best among the nine receivers who attempted it. Per Kent Lee Platte, Odunze’s RAS checks in at 9.69, a strong overall figure.
Our Ross McCorkle wrote the scouting report on Rome Odunze last week. He praised him for his tracking and body control while noting a need to improve beating press coverage.
“Odunze has everything he needs to be a starting wide receiver at the next level,” McCorkle concluded. “I think his 40-yard dash time at the combine will be better than his play speed sometimes suggests, and if it is he will be a lock to be one of the top two or three receivers off the board. He has the traits, was productive in college, served as a team captain, and has plenty of tape against top competition. My pro comparison for him is Tee Higgins.”
Highly productive in college, Odunze caught 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023 for the Huskies. In addition to solid testing, he looked good in drills at the Combine with one front office executive telling NFL Network’s Peter Schrager his gauntlet drill was among the smoothest he’s ever seen.
Most mock drafts have Odunze as a top-ten pick, making Pittsburgh’s meeting notable considering how far down in the draft they’re selecting. Of course, the Steelers do their homework on all prospects and there’s value in getting to know the best-in-the-class, to understand the best prospects and how their contrast to lower-graded ones. And the team’s continuity allows them to dust off those old scouting reports when those prospects turn into future free agents. Pittsburgh used several of their allotted 45 formal interviews on wide receivers.
Assuming Odunze was one, we know of at least six, and they’re all Top-50 selections. With WR Diontae Johnson entering the final year of his deal, it could signal a desire to draft a receiver sooner than some expect.
