The Oklahoma Sooners bring back their top three receiving options from the 2020 season: Marvin Mims, Theo Wease and Austin Stogner, to catch passes from Spencer Rattler in 2021. But one of the most important players the Sooners have returning has been dubbed a breakout possibility for the Sooners, wide receiver Jadon Haselwood.
Though Haselwood comes into the 2021 season as arguably the fourth receiving option in the passing offense, his size and athletic ability give him a chance to lead the Sooners in receiving.
In Pro Football Focus’ College Football Preview magazine, it projected Haselwood to be the Oklahoma Sooners breakout star.
Haselwood suffered a torn ACL last offseason, an injury that limited him to only three games in 2020, but he did show some flashes. As a true freshman, he earned a respectable 72.4 grade that featured 2.52 yards per route run, zero drops and a 50% contested-catch rate. He flashed advanced ball skills and made highlight-reel grabs look routine. – Pro Football Focus
Haselwood’s ability to win in contested-catch situations fits really well with Spencer Rattler’s gunslinging mentality. Rattler showed in his first season at quarterback he was unafraid to throw the ball up and allow receivers to make a play. The problem is Mims and Wease aren’t the athletes Haselwood is. They rely more on their route-running and ability to find openings in zone coverage to make plays down the field.
Haselwood, on the other hand, displayed his athletic ability in the Big 12 Championship and will be further removed from the ACL injury that kept him out for nearly all of 2020.
He’s an underrated route runner, and his sure hands will give Rattler another reliable weapon in the passing game. On 33 career targets, Haselwood has yet to drop a pass.
As the Sooners look to get more out of their wide receiver group in 2021, Haselwood’s size and athleticism give the Sooners an option they didn’t have last year. Someone that can win even when covered.