Being 6’3 with 4.4 speed usually is enough to get you to the NFL if you’re a wide receiver. Talents like that are rare. Rome Odunze wasn’t satisfied with that. Simply reaching the pro level wasn’t his goal. He wants to excel against the best in the game. It didn’t take long for him to realize that would require a level of commitment few young athletes understand. Even his coaches at Washington didn’t quite understand what they had until they saw him on the practice field. They soon realized the best thing to do was stay out of his way.
JaMarcus Shephard was Odunze’s wide receivers coach at Washington for two years. The man has a strong reputation for coaching the position. He helped notable names like Taywan Taylor, David Bell, and Rondale Moore reach the NFL as future draft picks. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune spoke to him about Odunze. The coach didn’t mince words, stating the 9th overall pick is special. It isn’t the physical tools that make him that way. People have no idea how insanely dedicated to learning the game he’s been.
“It’s as high level as anybody I’ve ever coached. The young man truly understands. It was to a point where I needed to find ways to continuously challenge him during the meetings in order to ensure that I was keeping his attention. Obviously he is a professional so he was always going to pay attention, but I wanted to him to be fully engaged in those meetings.
So he was learning about the D-line and techniques of the D-line. He was learning about the different pressures and really, truly understanding exactly what the quarterback is reading on play concepts. So I knew for Rome going into those predraft meetings that he was going to crush that piece of the interview process.”
Wide receivers are expected to know three things on the field: what they’re going to do, what the cornerback covering them will do, and what the quarterback throwing the ball will do. Odunze isn’t satisfied with that. He wants to know what every player on the field will do. By understanding the defensive line approach, he’ll learn what their pressure packages are. If they intend to bring a blitz, that means it could open a window for him to beat it if he adjusts his route. Understanding this will help build trust with Caleb Williams.
Only a select few wide receivers ever bother with such details. They are content to learn their routes and run them to the best of their ability. Rome Odunze wants to play the chess match. He’s approaching the game with a quarterback mentality, which almost always leads to good things. It isn’t a coincidence several quarterbacks who shifted to wide receiver ended up having success. They understand what defenses are trying to do and, more importantly, how to counter them.
