The New Orleans Saints selected a pair of potential-packed players in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Chris Olave and Trevor Penning.
Olave and Penning still have a long way to go before they become established players in the NFL, but Saints assistant general manager and college scouting director Jeff Ireland is quite confident in both rookies.
Speaking to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, Ireland revealed his player comparisons for Olave and Penning.
When it comes to Olave, there’s a lot to like about his playing style. Not only is the Ohio State product fast, he’s a smooth route runner. For those reasons, he reminds Ireland of Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison.
“We’d like for him to be a little stronger, and we got to put some strength on him and some muscle, but every time you would turn on the tape you would see Chris Olave making a play in that game. And I like that. And so he reminds me of some players that have played in our league, the Marvin Harrisons, that were just silky smooth and effortless,” Ireland said. “And same body type. It doesn’t look like they were running fast, but when we turn on the clock, it’s like 4.3 (seconds). So there’s some really good aspects to that player.”
As for Penning, Ireland compared him to four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Jake Long. It’s worth noting that Ireland drafted Long back when he was on the Miami Dolphins.
“I see this guy (Penning) having the same technical flaws, but also having the same ability as someone like a Jake Long,” Ireland said.
If Olave and Penning can come anywhere close to Harrison and Long, the Saints will be very competitive for a long time.
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