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Christian Josiah Olave (/oʊˈlɑːveɪ/ oh-LAH-vay; born June 27, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he holds the school record of most career touchdown receptions at 35. Olave was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
_(cropped).jpg) Olave with Ohio State in 2018 | |||||||||
| No. 12 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | June 27, 2000 San Ysidro, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Mission Hills (San Marcos, California) | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State (2018–2021) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2022 / round: 1 / pick: 11 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Injured Reserve | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2024 | |||||||||
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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]
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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.[5] 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.[6][7] The following week in the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, he caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown against Northwestern.[8]
In the 2019 season, Olave had three games with two receiving touchdowns.[9] His highest yard total came against Rutgers with four receptions for 139 receiving yards in the 56–21 victory.[10] He finished with 48 receptions for 840 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.[9]
In the 2020 season, Olave played in seven games due to the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the Buckeyes' season.[11] He scored multiple receiving touchdowns in three games and went over 100 receiving yards in five games.[12]
Olave recorded four games with multiple receiving touchdowns and five going over the 100-yard mark in the 2021 season. Olave finished the 2021 season with 65 receptions for 936 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.[13] His 13 receiving touchdowns led the Big Ten.[14] Following the season, Olave announced that he would be opting out of the 2022 Rose Bowl in order to prepare for the 2022 NFL draft.[15]
College statistics
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| 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:[16][17] | ||||||||||||
Olave was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (11th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.[18]
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.[19] In Week 3, against the Carolina Panthers, Olave had nine receptions for 147 yards.[20] In Week 4, against the Minnesota Vikings, he had his first professional touchdown reception on a four-yard reception from Andy Dalton.[21] He added two more games going over the 100-yard mark over the 2022 season. He finished his rookie season with 72 receptions for 1,042 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[22] He was named to the 2022 PFWA All-Rookie Team.[23]
On September 10, 2023, Olave caught eight passes for 112 yards against the Tennessee Titans in the 16–15 victory.[24] He caught another 8 passes for 104 yards in week 3 against the Green Bay Packers as the Saints lost 17–18.[25] He finished his sophomore campaign with 87 receptions for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns.[26]
On July 18, 2024, Olave was placed on the Active/Non-football injury or illness (NFI) list.[27] He was activated prior to week 1.[28]
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| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
On October 23, 2023, Olave was arrested by the Kenner Police Department in Kenner, Louisiana on suspicion of reckless operation of a motor vehicle, reportedly driving 70 mph in a 35 mph zone.[29]
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