Giants won’t pass on WR Rome Odunze at No. 6 — Shaun O’Hara

So much for all the QB chatter

Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback. The New York Giants are taking one at No. 6, or higher in the 2024 NFL Draft, right? Unless they aren’t. Former Giant and current NFL Network analyst Shaun O’Hara has another idea.

O’Hara thinks the Giants won’t pass on wide receiver Rome Odunze if he is there for them in the first round.

“I know the Giants are drooling over this guy,” O’Hara said. “If he’s there at six, I don’t see any way they pass him up.”

O’Hara thinks Odunze might be WR1 in the draft class.

“He may have leap-frogged Marvin Harrison. With what Rome Odunze did in the drills, in all the testing, the jumps, the running, I thought he was phenomenal,” O’Hara said. “I think he showed that he is just as smooth as any other receiver out there.”

O’Hara, of course, pointed to Odunze staying on the field long after he needed to trying to run the 3-cone drill to his satisfaction.

“I thought that was a really cool moment showing his perseverance. He was not going to leave the field until he posted a good time on that, something he was comfortable with,” O’Hara said. “The Combine is all about showcasing your skills, showcasing your competitive attitude. Rome Odunze did that … he basically raised the barometer for everybody else.”

Valentine’s View

I don’t know about leap-frogging Harrison. I do know that while I would take either of Malik Nabers or Odunze, my clear preference is Odunze.

We can argue about the skills — Nabers and Odunze are different receivers, but both are tremendously skilled. I happen to prefer Odunze’s size, contested catch ability and consistent route running to the flash and explosiveness but occasional inconsistency of Nabers.

The big thing for me, though, is the attitude. Odunze wants to be a Hall of Famer, and is showcasing traits beyond physical skills that are necessary if he will have a chance to achieve that goal.

NFL players are all incredibly talented, even the bottom of the roster ones. It is quite often the want to, the desire, the willingness to do more than is required that separates a player. Odunze showed those things at the Combine. I’m drawn to that, because that is a player who will leave no stone unturned to become the best player he can possibly be.