Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
Listed at 6-foot-1, 193 pounds Jerry Jeudy is arguably the best receiver in this class. He combines elite route running with dangerous top end speed. Jeudy shows an advanced understanding of how to create separation in his routes using deception at the stem of his routes to keep cornerbacks off balance. Jeudy has the ability to win on all three levels: short, immediate, and deep. Jeudy combines excellent spatial awareness with one of the deadliest “dead legs” since former Florida State Wide Receiver Peter Warrick. Jeudy fell victim to some untimely concentration drops this past year and must continue to improve in that area. Jeudy has plently of production throughout his career catching 24 touchdowns over his last 28 games. He finished his junior season with 77 receptions, 1163 yards, and 10 touchdowns.
Jeudy offers versatility to play both outside and inside and to be very effective at both based on his ability to win on all three levels of a defense. He would give the Cowboys arguably the best trio of receivers in the NFL if they were to draft him. The Cowboys would need a little luck for Jeudy to be available at pick 17 with teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers in the market for a number one receiver.
What the experts say:
Mixes tight, crisp route-running with impressive top-end speed to keep secondaries on eggshells throughout the game. Jeudy is high-cut and a little leggy in his press release and short-area movements, but fluid hips and above-average agility prevent any stagnation. He’s a linear route specialist with a great feel for leveraging and then stemming defenders away from his food on intermediate and deep passes. The hands need work and contested catches will be much more challenging against bigger, faster matchups across from him. Jeudy can play inside or outside but offers a unique ability to both widen or lengthen the field from the slot. His transition from deep threat to volume target in 2019 should help sell teams on his ability to become a pro-Bowl caliber WR1 who can help his offense on all three levels.
The first attribute that jumps out about Jeudy is speed. He is a fast wideout who is a game breaker. After a fast first-step, Jeudy has a second gear to accelerate down the field and stretch defenses over the top. He can run by double coverage and score from anywhere on the field. His speed and athleticism allow him to consistently generate separation from defensive backs because he is very difficult to run with. Along with being a vertical threat, Jeudy should be a good third-down weapon in the NFL with his ability to get open on short to intermediate routes. After the catch, Jeudy is excellent. He is very elusive in the open field, possessing phenomenal feet to dodge tacklers, stop/start, and cut through the secondary. Jeudy’s yards-after-the-catch skills in combination with his speed make him very dangerous to turn a short reception into a long gain.
Jerry Jeudy is a top shelf receiving prospect with elite footwork, route running ability and suddenness to be a constant big play producer in the NFL. Jeudy offers dynamic foot speed and masterful route running ability and projects favorably to any style passing offense. Alabama’s offensive diversity between 2018 and 2019 have Jeudy well versed in a vast array of routes and his fundamentals and technique will net early booming results for whoever selects him in 2020.