Saints WR Chris Olave draws comparison to Marvin Harrison

The New Orleans Saints moved up in this year’s NFL Draft to take Chris Olave, and the team has high expectations for the receiver.

Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland spoke about Olave with Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan on Saturday. Ireland said that Olave’s route-running ability was reminiscent of Marvin Harrison and other players like him.

“[Olave] reminds me of some players who have played in our league, the Marvin Harrisons, who 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.”

The Saints took Olave with the No. 11 pick in the draft.

On Thursday, Saints quarterback Jameis Winston called Olave a “smooth” route runner, and noted his football acumen.

In 2021, Olave caught 65 passes for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final year at Ohio State.

Harrison had 1,102 catches and 128 touchdowns in 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. A 2016 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Harrison’s 14,580 career receiving yards are good for the ninth-best mark in NFL history.

While expectations are high for the first-round pick, Olave has a long way to go to get to Harrison’s level.