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Looking back at every receiver drafted ahead of Chris Olave in the 2022 NFL Draft

Chris Olave has established himself as one of the best young WRs in the NFL, so let’s look back at the WRs drafted before the New Orleans Saints selected him.

By Jaleel Grandberry

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the eleventh overall pick to the New Orleans Saints during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the eleventh overall pick to the New Orleans Saints during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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In the 2022 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints traded up to the No. 11 pick to select wide receiver Chris Olave. Evident in the fact New Orleans moved up for Olave, the team had high expectations for the talented receiver out of Ohio State. Two years into his NFL career, he has been delivering on those expectations.

As a rookie, Olave played in 15 games, catching 72 passes for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns. He led the team in receptions and receiving yards. He’d do that again in 2023, improving his numbers to 87 receptions for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns.

Now, despite already leading the team in both years he’s been on the roster, Olave will enter the season as the Saints’ unquestioned No. 1 receiver for the first time in his career. With Michael Thomas no longer in New Orleans, Olave has higher expectations, as the team believes he’s capable of launching himself into the top tier of receivers in the league.

With that ascension underway, now is a good time to look back at the 2022 Draft and remember the receivers that were taken before Olave. He was drafted at 11, so he didn’t have to wait that long. However, he was the third receiver off the board.

The first receiver drafted in 2022 was USC’s Drake London. The Atlanta Falcons selected London with the eighth-overall pick. Next was Olave’s college teammate Garrett Wilson, who went one spot ahead of Olave at No. 10 to the New York Jets.

Would Chris Olave still be the third receiver selected in a 2022 re-draft?

When looking back at drafts, everyone wants to analyze what would be different. In this case, the question is if the three receivers would still go in this order. It’s not an easy answer, because all three have had good starts to their careers.

London caught 72 passes for 866 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, then improved to 69 receptions for 905 yards and two touchdowns in year two. Wilson, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year, caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns in year one, and 95 receptions for 1,042 yards and three touchdowns in year two.

While all three teams are happy with their selections, especially now that they’re getting their quarterback situations figured out, Wilson would probably be the first receiver selected in a do-over, followed by Olave then London. However, the Saints are glad that wasn’t the order.

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