Rome Odunze talks Titans, shows competitive fire at NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS — The Tennessee Titans have met with former Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Odunze is one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft after recording 92 catches, 1,640 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns in 2023 while helping Washington reach the National Championship Game. […]
INDIANAPOLIS — The Tennessee Titans have met with former Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Odunze is one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft after recording 92 catches, 1,640 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns in 2023 while helping Washington reach the National Championship Game.
That kind of season is bound to make an impression on NFL scouts. And from what i heard at Odunze's media session on Friday morning , it would seem like the Titans made a strong impression on Odunze during their meeting with him as well.
Odunze's meeting with the Titans
According to Odunze, his formal meeting with the Titans was one of the first ones he had during his time in Indianapolis.
"The Titans were cool. That was one of my first meetings, so I was going into it a little nervous, figuring out how those meetings are going to go," said Odunze on Friday. "But (the Titans are) good people as well. They were also very diligent in asking me all the good questions to make sure I knew what I was talking about. I felt like I probably impressed them…Hopefully. It was another good meeting."
Odunze was also asked how he would feel about playing alongside a future Hall of Fame wide out like DeAndre Hopkins. He was clearly a fan of that idea.
"It would be a huge influence. At every point in my career – high school and college – I've had guys above me that ended up doing great things. I had NFL players at my high school. I had Puka Nacua come before me at UW. I feel like it would just be apart of the journey to have a vet like that teach me a bunch of things," said Odunze.
I got the sense that Odunze would be very happy playing for the Titans. And why wouldn't he be? They've got a talented quarterback, an offensive minded head coach, another star wide receiver, and…the seventh overall pick with an expected $15+ million signing bonus.
Getting drafted by Tennessee would be a win for Odunze. And landing Odunze with the seventh pick would be a win for the Titans. Not only am I a big fan of the explosive speed and hands that show up on tape, I'm a big fan of his competitive spirit.
Odunze loves to compete
I can't lie. Rome Odunze was a tremendous interview. Probably my favorite at the Combine thus far. He's personable and his genuine self in front of the cameras, and showed a competitive fire that is sure to resonate with fans.
The other top receivers in this draft class – Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers – both opted out of testing in Indianapolis. They won't run the 40. They won't run routes. They're strictly here to meet with teams.
It's honestly the smart thing to do. As Titans head coach Brian Callahan said earlier this week, the talent of those two players speaks for itself. Their draft stock won't be changing any because they didn't run the 40 in front of scouts at the Combine. Few players are in a position to make that sort of decision, but if you can are, it makes a lot of sense to train for football rather that predraft testing.
Odunze could have chosen to do the same thing. He doesn't need to test in Indy. He doesn't need to prove anything to scouts. He's going to be drafted in the Top 10 regardless. But Odunze will still be doing drills and running routes. It's about competition for him. Competing with not just this draft class, but the previous generations of draftees and the generations still to come.
"You know, just for me, it was about being able to compete against generations before and generations to come and being able to see where I stack up against all those people," Odunze told me. "It's a one-time thing, a thing you can only do once in your life. So I just want to do it to the fullest. It's something I feel like I can excel at so that's why I decided to do it. "
That type of competitive spirit is a good sign for Odunze's NFL success. The future first-round pick said he was hoping to run under a 4.40 second 40 time.
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