For the next fantasy football Devy comparison, we look at Buckeye teammates Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Who will be the better NFL prospect for 2022?
The next two 2022 eligible players I took a look at for fantasy football Devy purposes were teammates Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. In a surprise move, Olave decided to turn down the NFL and come back to Ohio State after a very good Junior season. As a Wolverine fan, this review made me feel dirty, but I cannot deny the talent of these two Buckeyes. Let’s take a deeper dive into these two that may be one of the best duos in college football in 2021 – and who you’ll want on your fantasy football team.
Player Profiles
Both Olave and Wilson came to Ohio State from other states but that is where the similarities end in the recruitment. Wilson was a top-end recruit and had offers from many schools. He ultimately picked Ohio State over blue blood programs Alabama, Georgia, and Texas.
Olave on the other hand was a lower, 3-star prospect. He was only recruited after then-QB coach Ryan Day was out to California watching 4-star QB Jake Tuttle. Olave had some Power 5 offers from the PAC-12, but nowhere near the prestige of the powerhouses that were recruiting Wilson.
Above data is found under Jerrick Backous Patreon
The Film
As discussed in the previous piece on Burks and Bell, below are the eight traits I have identified to grade receivers on. I thought the gap would be bigger for Wilson, but both are very well-rounded WRs.
Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave are one of the best WR duos out there ⚡️ @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/eo6lui9VAp
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) May 12, 2021
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Analytics
Both Olave and Wilson have a similar contested catch, weighted dominator, and the same breakout year. Olave plays out wide predominantly, while Wilson can be moved inside and outside. It is no surprise that Olave has a higher ADOT because of him being such a deep threat, but the yards per reception are almost identical for both players. Both are good at all three levels and the numbers show that they are both well rounded.
I once again used the same metrics of weighted dominator and reception yards per team pass attempt as before. You can see in these two graphs from campus2canton.com, both Olave and Wilson compare very favorably to other recent 1st round WRs in college. I included Devonta Smith in the comparison because Olave is going the same route – coming back for a fourth year.
The regression line on both graphs shows the average for the Top-24 WRs in the NFL. Olave and Wilson both had breakouts in Year 2, but Wilson was above the regression line. Meanwhile, Olave didn’t move above that regression line until Year 3.
In a comparison of Olave with Devonta Smith through three years, Olave is ahead in Years 2/3. It will be interesting if Olave can have the same jump in his final year.
Perception
In a surprise among the Twitterverse, it was a tie of 36 votes each on who has the most NFL potential (this may be because of Olave being in mock drafts in 2021, but still interesting nonetheless).
Who do you like better for NFL potential?@MyFantasyLeague @IDPGuys @dynasty_lounge @FFLeagueWinners
— Brandon Haye (@hayeb3) June 13, 2021
Here are also some comments from people on Twitter for both prospects.
Chris Olave
- Crisp on his routes
- Olave runs way better routes than DeSean Jackson
- Fast but not a burner
- Slippery release game and diverse route tree
Garrett Wilson
- Elite Route Runner but ceiling could be limited
- Tough to press and knows how to set up routes
- A technician as route runner – very good footwork to beat press
- Excellent ball tracking skills and body control
Outlook in the NFL
The Buckeyes do a great job in their scheme. When you add incredible talent to it, there’s no wonder why they have as much success as they do. They set up their WRs to succeed and could finally break their drought of not having a WR being picked in the 1st round in 2022.
Chris Olave
His freshman year, Olave came into the biggest game on the road and caught two huge TDs to set the tone against Michigan. As much as I hated him, after that game I have been a fan of his because I really like his game.
There are different rumors about why Olave came back to school. Some say he didn’t get the grade he wanted and others close to the Ohio State program say he wanted another try at a championship. Either way, I think Olave could cement a 1st or 2nd round grade with another productive year.
Olave is a very physical blocker. He’ll lock on to defenders and will not let them loose. To me, he meets analytics metrics and is a smooth, polished route runner. Olave is a very good receiver that is underappreciated – and can do a little bit of everything.
I think this can be seen when he missed games because in his absence, quarterback Justin Fields seemed to be on edge. I don’t know if he can be a team’s No. 1 wide receiver, but he could be a 1b similar to the Rams with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.
Garrett Wilson
Wilson has shown great strides in his first two years with noticeable improvement. Interestingly, Wilson played more as an outside receiver in his freshman season, but was asked to be more in the slot in 2020. There is talk that Ohio State wants to put him back outside, and that could help his stock for the NFL Draft in 2022.
Many in the fantasy football Devy community have Wilson as the No.1 receiver in 2021 and so far that is how I have him graded as well.
While Olave is very smooth, I think Wilson has more variety in his moves and am very excited to see how he continues to develop in 2021. Wilson can make defenders miss with ease; and the way the NFL is moving to the short game, I could see Wilson being a true No.1 receiver for an NFL team. I see a lot of Calvin Ridley in his game and see him as being picked in the Top-15 of the NFL Draft in 2021.
Which Buckeye do you think is better?
Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.