Report: Steelers Could Trade Up For Washington WR Rome Odunze

Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze met with several teams at the NFL Combine, and one of them was the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport added that the Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams are potential trade up teams.

Odunze is a top-flight receiver in this year’s draft. Most have him ranked as the third-best receiver in the 2024 class, behind Malik Nabers of LSU and Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State. It’s highly doubtful that Odunze will be still available when the Steelers pick at 20th overall, so they’ll have to trade up.

“So let’s look at the teams (Odunze) met with — the Patriots, the Cardinals, the Giants, the Titans and the Bears are among the intriguing one for me because those are the top 10 teams,” Rapoport said. “Also spent some time with the Colts, the Jaguars, the Rams and the Steelers. And the reason why those are interesting is those would be potential trade up teams. Rarely do you see a huge trade up for a receiver, but not never. Obviously that is something to keep an eye on.”

Diontae Johnson’s contract expires at the end of 2024, so the Steelers could be looking to add more weapons. A duo of George Pickens and Odunze is certainly intriguing.

Odunze, who stands at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, is a versatile player who can move all over the formation. And while he has a similar height profile to Pickens, they are different players, so there is not a ton of overlap there. He has excellent long speed that would allow him to stretch the field and become a great complement to what Pickens and Johnson bring to the table.

Odunze recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Washington. He had 78 receptions for 1,151 yards (15.3 average) and seven touchdowns in 2022. Last year, he had 92 receptions for 1,640 yards (17.8 average) and 13 touchdowns.

Odunze was the only player left on the field at the Combine during the 3 cone drill, as he refused to leave until he got a 6.6 time. Odunze ran an official 4.45 40-yard dash and recorded a 39-inch vertical.