Raiders 7-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Las Vegas trades down in Round 1
The Raiders’ offense was in desperate need of a deep threat in 2022 and in Rome Odunze out of Washington, they get both a deep threat and a jump ball target. Think of him as a more polished version of Mack Hollins as he did just for the Raiders last season. Odunze is excellent down the field and has the speed necessary to beat most cornerbacks and safeties on deep passes.
The Las Vegas native has great body control and ball-tracking skills so he can help increase the verticality of the Raiders’ offense. If the Raiders do indeed sign Tom Brady then he is a nice facsimile of what Mike Evans brought to the table at 6-3 and 200lbs though Evans is a much more physical player.
Odunze had a slow start to his college career but burst on the scene in 2022 with 75 catches for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns. He developed as a route runner and worked on his elusiveness and run after the catchability.
The former Huskies star does need to work on catching more with his hands versus his body, but he can learn that and much more from the best in Davante Adams. Odunze does not look like the traditional deep threat, but his combination of size and speed could give the Raiders’ offense a completely different dimension.