ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY
Odunze could be next great NY WR
Third of an 11-part series. Coming tomorrow: tight ends.
Rome Odunze’s parents gave him the perfect first name for what would become his on- and off-field personas.
Odunze packaged elite ball skills with natural charisma during an attention-grabbing, record-setting redshirt junior season that has him on the verge of becoming a top-10 pick in the 204 NFL Draft. His 92 catches for a nation-best 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns propelled Washington into the national championship game.
“There’s ‘Rome the Warrior’ and ‘Rome the Philosopher,’” former Washington receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard told The Post. “Every general manager, everyone working in the dining hall, every person is going to fall in love with the Philosopher because he will mentally engage you in a special way.
“But when the Warrior comes out, there is a nasty, violent, physical monster whose expectation is to dominate every individual in his path on the way to accomplishing the team goals. The crazy part is he can lead from both personalities.”
Like an NFL combination of Julius Caesar and Marcus Aurelius.
What’s even crazier is that one year ago Shephard heard criticism of Odunze for his contested catch ability. It’s no mistake then that Odunze’s 2023 film is a montage of him ripping away passes from defensive backs and contorting his 6-foot-3 frame in the air to adjust to the ball — or doing both simultaneously, like on his game-winning touchdown against Oregon.
Only two college receivers fared better than Odunze’s 75 percent success rate on contested catches last season, per Pro Football Focus. He embodies Shephard’s belief that “receivers” is too passive of a term and Odunze is a “taker” who “understands that it doesn’t matter what the weather is, where the ball is thrown, how physical the defensive back is, that’s my ball.”
“One scout last year said we were getting him too open on concepts, and I couldn’t believe they were questioning, with his size, his ability to make 50/50 catches,” said Shephard, who, followed Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama as cooffensive coordinator after last season.
“Throughout the offseason, there was certainly an emphasis on it. To all the young players out there who don’t understand the importance of practice, the plays in the game, he made those plays in practice over and over and over again.”
For receiver-needy teams with high first-round picks, deciding between Marvin Harrison Jr.’s route-running, Malik Nabers’ speed and Odunze’s physicality feels like a can’t-miss proposition.
“You are splitting hairs with all three of them,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. told The Post. “Everything Odunze does is silky smooth. He’s deceptive in terms of speed and overall movement.”
Shephard fixed practice drills to put Oduzne up against bigger bodies. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. — a potential first-round pick — quickly learned after transferring from Indiana that what counts as covered for most receivers still is “open” with Odunze.
“Because of the trust that Mike had with Rome,” Shephard said, “he was more willing to give him those opportunities because Mike knew that was the rhetoric surrounding Rome at the time.”
Just as he answered questions about making contested catches, Oduzne is acing public and private interviews. Shephard credits that side of Odunze to the influence, presence and intelligence of his parents — and sees it as a perfect fit for New York if the Giants (No. 6) or Jets (No. 10) come calling.
“He will be eating New York out of his hands because he truly is a person who can handle all types,” Shephard said. “There’s a brute toughness to New York, and Rome has that. There’s also the glitz and glam. Guess what? He’s going to make those plays, too.”
One personnel evaluator who met with Odunze in the last few months raved about his ability to “articulate his message” and his “sense of comfort” in the high-pressure environment. In front of microphones at the NFL Combine, Odunze handled a curveball without hesitation when he was asked
— for some unknown reason — if he could land a plane in case of an emergency.
“Absolutely not,” Odunze quipped. “We are going down. All souls have perished.”
No need for false bravado when he has plenty of confidence. He participated in Combine testing because he wanted to know how his numbers stacked up against past greats.
“I think a successful career would be ending up in the Hall of Fame,” Odunze said. “I think who I am as a person, who I am in the locker room, who I will be in the community are all A-plus.”
It all goes hand-in-hand. “The main thing being missed is Rome is an alpha dog — because you see him being so personable with everyone involved and he’s got the big blonde hair,” Shephard said. “The last thing is this: In the biggest moments, Rome Odunze is going to make the play.”