As the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Chris Olave has lived up to the billing in two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark both times. But he believes he's just getting started.
Olave is looking to elevate his game to the next level in Year 3 as New Orleans turns to him as its No. 1 wideout in 2024.
"Really everywhere," Olave said Wednesday on The Insiders, which airs on NFL Network and NFL+ at 7 p.m. ET. "Just going into this offseason knowing that (the Saints) believe in me as the Receiver 1, I'm excited to get to work. But I'm just trying to take that next step forward and try to go from a good player to an elite player. So just trying to be consistent every day and put in the work to be able to be one of the top receivers in the game."
Olave finished last season with 87 catches for 1,123 yards -- both top-20 numbers in the NFL -- with five touchdowns and a two-point conversion. The Saints also finished in the top half of the league in most offensive numbers, especially in the passing game.
But things didn't always look right on that side of the ball for New Orleans under former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, including the connection between quarterback Derek Carr and Olave, who appeared to be on different pages at times.
Olave said Saints players have taken it upon themselves to hold each other responsible after missing the playoffs in both of his seasons with the team.
"The standards are always high," Olave said. "The expectation is always high. First two years, we didn't live up to those, but like I said, the standard in the building, expectation in the building is always (to) make the playoffs and do some work in the playoffs.
"This year, we're holding ourselves accountable every day and trying to stay consistent with that. It always starts around this time to be able to shine around December and January and February. I'm excited we're putting the work in now."
Still, last year's struggles led to coaching changes. Enter new coordinator Klint Kubiak, who brings a West Coast-based passing game from San Francisco, where he was the 49ers' passing-game coordinator. Olave said he likes what he's seen from his new play-caller.
"(Kubiak) brings a real dynamic offense, a lot of different plays, a lot of different schemes, a lot of different styles to the Saints," Olave said. "So I'm excited to be able to play in that West Coast offense. He brings a different thing to us, and I'm excited to be able to work with him.
"It's been (going) real well in OTAs, and we're getting to work and we're starting off real good. Picking up the plays and doing all that, we're doing that stuff right now, so when it comes to the season, we're all ready."
Olave has been sidetracked a bit this offseason, however. Saints head coach Dennis Allen revealed that Olave suffered a shoulder injury a few weeks ago in the weight room and the team was being cautious with him, having Olave don a red (no-contact) jersey during practice, even though he was able to go through practice pretty fully.
Olave told "The Insiders" that the shoulder isn't a major concern right now, especially with training camp more than a month away.
"I'm doing good," he said. "I'm just rehabbing right now, a little tweak. Just rehabbing, like I said. Still out there for every rep, so nothing to overthink about it."
