Olave with Ohio State in 2018 | |||||||
| No. 12 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | June 27, 2000 San Ysidro, San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Mission Hills (San Marcos, California) | ||||||
| College: | Ohio State (2018–2021) | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2022 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2022 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Christian Josiah Olave (/oʊˈlɑːveɪ/ oh-LAH-vay; born June 27, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he holds the school record of most career touchdown receptions at 35. Olave was drafted by the Saints in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Of Cuban descent on his father's side and African-American on his mother's, Olave was born on June 27, 2000, in San Ysidro, California.[1] He played football at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista for two seasons before transferring to Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California. He had to sit out his junior year due to California Interscholastic Federation transfer rules.[2] During his senior season, Olave caught 93 passes for 1,764 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was also a member of the school's basketball and track teams.[3] He committed to Ohio State University in January 2018.[4]
As a freshman at Ohio State, Olave played on both offense and special teams. He recorded 12 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns during his debut season. During the 2018 match up against Michigan, he was able to bring in two touchdowns and block a punt in the 62–39 Ohio State win. The following week in the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, he caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown against Northwestern. Following the 2021 season, Olave announced that he would be opting out of the 2022 Rose Bowl in order to prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft.[5]
| Season | GP | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2018 | 7 | 12 | 197 | 16.4 | 3 |
| 2019 | 13 | 49 | 849 | 17.3 | 12 |
| 2020 | 7 | 50 | 729 | 16.2 | 8 |
| 2021 | 11 | 65 | 936 | 14.4 | 13 |
| Career[6] | 38 | 176 | 2,711 | 15.4 | 36 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
187 lb (85 kg) |
31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.39 s | 1.45 s | 2.46 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) |
10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) | ||||
| Sources:[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Olave was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (11th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.[9]
Olave made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons with three receptions for 41 yards and a two-point conversion in the 27–26 victory.[10] In Week 3, against the Carolina Panthers, Olave had nine receptions for 147 yards.[11] In Week 4, against the Minnesota Vikings, he had his first professional touchdown reception on a four-yard reception from Andy Dalton.[12]
