How Similar Are Olave And Thornton?

There are some who are saying Tyquan Thornton is just as good as Chris Olave. If you haven't heard anyone say it, listen to what Greg Cosell said on the Greg Bedard show / podcast. It's just one example of how people are now trying to say they're the same. I thought a good way to settle this would be to look at the pros and cons listed in various scouting reports and see how they compare. And with that we're off to see if there's any truth to it.

Scott Nate Tice of Bleacher Report Wrote the following about Tyquan Thornton.

PROs: "Twitchy and long athlete with good height and excellent long speed. Above-average route-runner who knows how to use his speed. Has good body control and twitch to sink on breaking routes and stay friendly to the QB. Has long arms and flashes a wide catching range. A springy athlete who can make some plays in the red zone. Willing blocker who sustains on his blocks. Shows good awareness of his assignment on run plays."

CONs: "Skinny frame will make him susceptible to more physical corners. Small hands and has some issues with drops, especially when attempting to bring a throw down through contact. Can see that he doesn’t trust his hands. Can rise up as he’s breaking on routes, giving away indicators to smarter defenders."

Tice wrote the following about Olave.

PROs: "Good overall athlete who plays fast. Consistently gets off the ball quickly at the snap. Uses his snap anticipation to his advantage to get vertical on defenders at a faster speed than they are expecting. Very good route-runner. Uses his body control, core strength and balance to consistently win. Displays an advanced route tree and polish at all three levels. Asked to run more technique-driven routes in high-leverage situations like the red zone and third down and is consistently able to do so. Plays with tempo and understanding of route concepts. Has the feel to find soft spots in zone coverages. Knows how to stay friendly to the QB and uncover. Great on scramble drills due to his spatial awareness. Good, natural hands. Comfortable extending away from his body to maximize his size. Has the ability to align both inside and outside. Good with the ball in his hands. Gets north and can pull away from defenders."

CONs: "Lacks strength to consistently hold up in blocking. Limited snaps vs. press coverage. Flashes ability to win but will be considered a question mark due to size."

So what does Tice say they have in common? Speed, route running, red zone ability, body control, awareness, and undersized. It also looks like Tice spent more time on Olave than Thorton. This could be because of school or because of the concensus board.

Lance Zierlein said the following about the two receivers.

Tyquan Thornton 

PROs: "Accomplished sprinting background. Good productivity in healthy 2019 and 2021 campaigns. Play speed sets up easy slants and hitch throws. Short-area foot quickness for a taller receiver. Tape is full of route separation. Poised and ready on 50/50 deep-sideline shots. Tougher than his frame might have you believe. Sticky hands with plus catch radius.Instinctive in space with feel for zone bodies. Above-average feel for footwork near boundaries."

CONs: "Bone thin and likely to stay that way. Strong press coverage could eliminate him for the game. Hands are extremely small for the position. Linear release gets redirected and slowed. The entire route tree will not be available to him. Slow to sink, break and change direction in his patterns. Needs to stack defenders when he gets them beat. Could struggle to hang on through contact."

Zierlein had the following to say about Olave.

PROs: "Buttery smooth mode of operation. Able to jab and juke press doors open. Top-end speed creates vertical opportunities. Glider with ability to route coverage up. Burst for separation on all three levels.Able to sit and settle quickly for hitch/curl. Alters weight and direction for balanced route turns. Effortless in the air and can create a highlight. Adjusts speed to ball flight.Ball skills feature plus focus and well-timed, sudden hands. Scrambles with his quarterback. Blocked two punts during career and has gunner talent."

CONs: "Scheme provided a lot of room for free play. Lack of desired play strength could become a concern. Room for more manipulation as a route salesman. Average hand strength to finish the catch. Inconsistent working back to the throw when needed. Failed to hold onto would-be touchdown catch in first quarter of loss to Michigan. Average in run-after-catch mode.Gets run through as run blocker."

So what does Zierlein say they have in common?

Speed, quickness, route running are things they both do well but their hands are not as good as would like in various areas. While they have similarities, Zierlein says they have different flaws.

What did CBS have to say about the two.

Tyquan Thornton 

PROs: "Somewhat spindly legitimate downfield burner with adequate releases because of his quickness. His second gear is fast; his top gear is outstanding. Long-striding glider. Very natural. Was held back by QB play in his final season at Baylor. Love his natural hands. Plucks the ball away from his frame. Will track it beautifully over his shoulder. The deep speed is real and natural hands are very enticing as a sizable downfield option."

CONs: "Not a YAC or contested-catch type. More physical cornerbacks will get into his frame and impede him at the outset of his route, but he isn't incredibly skinny."

Chris Olave

PROs: "Great top-end speed. Great route runner who does not tip off his break at the stem. Quick feet at the snap, which allows him to create good leverage. Does a great job tracking the ball over his shoulder and has been very productive for the Buckeyes in the red zone."

CONs: "Thin-framed boundary receiver who needs to be more physical through his routes. Explosive testing was average to below average. Can do a better job of creating yards after the catch."

What does CBS say they have in common? 

Speed and over the shoulder are the two traits they have in common. According to CBS, they're both undersized, need to get more physical and don't do enough to get yards after the catch.

Summary

After looking at just NFL.com, Bleacher Report, and CBS, I can say they have some similarities. After all, they're both wideouts, so there's bound to be some. Personal bias and how much time spent will determine their opinions of the two receivers. After looking at a large amount of reports from when I did my scouting reports on each, I will say they each have their own things that seperates one from the other. This is not to say that they cannot be equally as good or bad but to say that they are not the same player.