Los Angeles Chargers add former Ohio State sprinter to the roster

Travis Wakeman

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Los Angeles Chargers add former Ohio State sprinter to the roster image

In a move that would have made former Raiders owner Al Davis smile, the Los Angeles Chargers are taking a shot on a sprinter and trying to turn him into a wide receiver. Praise Olatoke, born in Nigeria and raised in Scotland, is the newest member of the team. 

This is what you should consider as the ultimate dart throw but at this stage of the offseason, there is no risk involved. 

Olatoke was signed through the NFL International Pathway Program, which grants a team an extra spot on its 90-man roster for that player. The program was designed to help find talent for the league outside the United States and Canada. 

Last season, the Chargers acquired defensive lineman C.J. Okoye through the same program and he had a sack on Stetson Bennett in a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Chargers bring in sprinter Praise Olatoke through Pathway Program

Olatoke went to Canada from Scotland in search of a way to make the Olympic team. But playing football was always in the back of his mind. At Ohio State, he participated on the track team and for Ohio State Club Football. 

 

That is the only organized football he has played, but there is still enough belief in his athletic ability to give him this chance. 

Olatoke obviously possesses elite speed. His best 40-yard dash time is 4.36 seconds but he has a l00-meter dash time of 10.27 seconds. But what also stands out is his size. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, with that kind of speed, he could become a serious weapon if he can develop his game. 

He enters a crowded wide receiver room, but not one that is overflowing with top-level talent. The Chargers used a second-round pick on Ladd McConkey. But outside of him and Josh Palmer, there is nothing certain at wide receiver and that includes last year's first-round pick, Quentin Johnston. 

Olatoke might be an extreme long shot to make the 53-man roster, but a spot on the practice squad is not out of the question at all. 

Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.