Ohio State football: How 2020 will affect 6 top players’ draft stock
By Ryan Stano
Chris Olave first burst onto the scene in 2018 after having a monster game against TTUN, catching two touchdowns and blocking a punt. He followed that up with a stellar 2019 season in which he caught 48 passes for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Olave is the best receiver in a loaded receiver room at Ohio State. He is currently listed as the fourth or fifth-best receiver in next year’s draft class depending on where you look. He is projected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick as it stands right now.
With another step up, Olave could vault himself into the top-10. He certainly should get the opportunities to do so with Fields throwing him the ball. It also helps that he has other threats to take attention away from him in Garrett Wilson and Julian Fleming.
If Olave were to get hurt, his stock could drop into the mid-second round. There are plenty of other really good receivers in this year’s draft class, so it would be easy for a team to pass him up. That’s not something Olave is worried about though. He’s worried about taking his game to the next level.
Olave should be a focal point of Ohio State’s offense in 2020. Expect him to catch a fair amount of deep balls and find the end zone a lot this season. He should be able to protect his draft stock and actually increase it a little bit.
Next, we take a look at one of the linebackers the Buckeyes have who is fighting for a first-round grade.