“Nothing in Your Pocket”: Rome Odunze Shares Heartfelt Story of Grandfather’s Struggle, Pledges to Preserve His Honor

Among all the other things he is, Rome Odunze is an immensely proud grandson. Enthroned as one of the top-10 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, Odunze is cherishing the little days he has before he enters the NFL, making the most out of them by sitting with ‘The Pivot‘. The conversation he had with the hosts gave the fans a huge grin on their faces. The candidness, the emotional edge, the pride of carrying a made-from-scratch legacy, Odunze was brimming with all of it and more when he started talking about his grandfather.

“My Nigerian heritage, it’s something that really drives me to keep doing what I’m doing. Just because that’s where you come from. I feel super blessed that I know where I come from. I know the village that my grandpa grew up in. So for me, it’s about honoring them,” Odunze said proudly about being in touch with the roots he comes from.

What came as an unknown fact was Odunze’s family history. Odunze is the second generation of his family thriving in the States, thanks to each sacrifice his grandparents made, something that he could never express enough gratitude towards.

“Coming over here to America with nothing in your pocket and having your grandson like on this stage, I just feel like we’ve been tremendously blessed, and it’s my duty to keep uplifting the name, keep uplifting my grandfather for all that he’s done with my grandmother,” Odunze added.

Safe to say that Odunze is already making his grandfather proud by being in the top 10 projected picks of the 2024 NFL draft. Now, his future rests solely on which team he gets drafted by.

Teams in the Rome Odunze race

All the teams looking to secure an elite WR as their first-round pick have their eyes set on Rome Odunze. While Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr, both of whom are projected to be drafted before him in several mock drafts, bring tough competition to the table, Harrison has faith in his numbers and performance.

The Chargers at No.5 are the top ones in the draft looking for a WR, if the Washington Commanders at No. 2 continue on their path of drafting a QB. The Giants at No.6 also make for an ideal team for Odunze. So which team do you think will draft Odunze? Drop your predictions in the comments.