If you were going to build a wide receiver from scratch, what’s the very first ingredient you would want to include? Is it size? Speed? Toughness? For me, it’s a more nuanced ingredient: the ability to get open.
Sure, speed and size and toughness can help with that, but the best word I can think to describe what I’m after is shiftiness — that or fluidity. Some guys you watch run routes and it’s like their body can be contorted in ways that allow them to change direction so quickly that defensive backs have no hope. They’re just always open.
And, well, the guy I just described is Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy — the No. 1 receiver on most draft boards, and a guy that Todd McShay described as the best route-runner they have ever seen.
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 193 lbs
40-yard-dash: 4.45
Bench Press: NA
Vertical jump: 35
Broad jump: 120
College stats: 36 games, 159 catches, 2,742 yards, 26 touchdowns
Over his last 28 college games, Jerry Jeudy scored 24 touchdowns — despite playing alongside three other NFL-quality receivers (two of whom aren’t even draft eligible yet) and in the toughest conference in college football. Yes, he played with arguably the best quarterback in the country for the past two seasons, but regardless that touchdown rate is impressive.
The reason that number is so high is because Jeudy isn’t just an elite route-runner, but he’s an elite route-runner that boasts 4.4 speed on top of it. Not only are you constantly guessing because of his fluidity in and out of breaks, but you’ve always got to give him enough cushion to avoid getting beat over the top. Then, once he catches the ball, his quickness and speed make the three yards of space he has created a serious problem for defensive backs.
Of the three receiver prospects at the top of most teams’ boards, Jeudy feels like the safest — and I don’t mean that as an insult. I simply think he has the lowest chance of busting. I honestly don’t see a way where Jeudy doesn’t go on to have a career that features at least a handful of Pro Bowls. The question is whether or not he’s big enough to shoulder the load of being a 100-catch guy year after year.
Verdict: PICK
Admittedly when it comes to first-round draft picks, I’m the type that wants to make sure I don’t miss. As I’ve said, Jeudy is the definition of “can’t-miss”. Of course there are some drop concerns — which will worry Las Vegas Raiders fans when they think of Amari Cooper’s disappointing tenure as a Raider — but aside from that there isn’t really anything not to like.
Jeudy is going to get open at the NFL level, and once he does, he’s going to continue to make people miss. His versatility to play all over the formation and run every route will be a dream scenario for Jon Gruden — who should be able to get him the ball 6+ times per game.
