5 New Orleans Saints who are certified building blocks for the future
- Isaiah Foskey is a natural-born stud
- Trevor Penning will be a centerpiece of Saints' offensive line
- Chris Olave has yet to reach his true potential
By Randy Gurzi
1. Chris Olave, Wide Receiver
Before selecting Trevor Penning at No. 19, the New Orleans Saints took Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave at No. 11 in the 2022 NFL Draft. Olave, who was the second Buckeye receiver taken in the draft, had 2,711 yards and 36 touchdowns in his collegiate career.
Garrett Wilson went first and that was expected but Olave wasn't far behind when it came to talent. He even displayed this during the Scouting Combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds and recorded a 10-foot-4-inch broad jump.
In addition to his physical gifts and athleticism, Olave was considered one of the purest route runners in the class. And he showed this off as a rookie when he had 1,042 yards (which is more than he had in a single season at Ohio State) on 72 receptions.
.@chrisolave_ finished his rookie season with 72 receptions and 1,042 receiving yards 😳 pic.twitter.com/07uEpuEONJ
— NFL (@NFL) July 3, 2023
The one area where he could stand to see improvement is in the number of touchdowns, having just four on the year. But of course, adding Derek Carr this offseason should help in that regard.
New Orleans is still holding out hope that Michael Thomas can return to form and if he does, they'll have two former Buckeyes that make up one of the top receiving corps in the NFC. But even if he can't get back to full health, the Saints know they have their WR1 going forward in Olave and will have no issues building their pass-catching corps around him.
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