This story originally appeared on Touchdown Wire.
In addition to being a top-flight wide receiver recruit, Jaylen Waddle was a standout track-and-field athlete at Houston Episcopal High School. He competed in the long jump as well as the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints, and posted some elite numbers in those events. He topped 22’9″ in the long jump, and in the two sprints his times were also eye-popping. His personal best in the 100m was 10.68 seconds, and he posted a time of 22.40 seconds in the 200m.
What he picked up in those events put him in a great position to excel on the football field. In this video we’ll dive into the concepts of pace, burst and acceleration and see how track translates to the field:
https://youtu.be/dhYGOS9O2pc
This is a tremendous wide receiver class, and you can stack the players any way you like atop your own boards. For my money, however, Waddle has to be near the top, and his track background — and the lessons he learned coming out of the sprinter’s blocks — are a big reason why.
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