Draft Profile: Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
15 January 2021 DRAFT WIDE RECEIVERS
Measurables: 5’10″ 185 LBs
Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle is a highlight waiting to happen. He was the talk of college football prior to his ankle injury when racked up 557 yards and 4 touchdowns in 4 consecutive games to open up the 2020 season. Waddle is not only blazing fast, he is as determined as they come when the ball is in the air. Everyone looks slow when he’s running by them and not even breaking stride to change his direction. He was phenomenal body control and reliable hands as well. Waddle can line up anywhere and be a huge threat on motion plays. This WR looks to be a day 1 impact player at the next level and his potential will only heighten with the right team.
Career Stats via, ESPN
| REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG | FUM | LST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 591 | 21.1 | 4 | 90 | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | 560 | 17.0 | 6 | 58 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | 848 | 18.8 | 7 | 94 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best Film:
2020 vs Georgia: 6-161-1
2020 vs Mizz: 8-134-2
2019 vs Auburn: 4-98-3
Strengths:
- Elite breakaway speed, pre-injury 40 was estimated around 4.25;
- quick lateral movement and creates angles DBs can’t recover from;
- solid route runner but needs to refine his intermediate routes;
- next level athleticism;
- attacks the ball and isn’t lazy when the ball is in the air;
- homerun threat from anywhere and versatile.
Weaknesses:
- Size, not the tallest or stronger, but utilizes his body type better than the rest;
- recovering from a severe ankle injury, played in the National Championship game but was obvious hobbled;
- has never been a volume guy but is a reliable pass catcher and someone you want to feed the ball when you’re looking for a big play.
NFL Comparison: Tyreek Hill (speed and creativity in space), Tyler Lockett (speed, route running, and big play ability), Brandin Cooks (great with the ball in his hand, great deep ball tracking)
Projection: 10-25, his medicals will weigh on teams decisions to select him high.
For more draft content, feel free to check out the 4th and Jawn social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube! You can find all of my content at the profile listed below (@mallee_chris_24) on Twitter. We have a ton of content related to the draft on the way.
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Chris Mallee 2021 NFL Draft, Alabama, combine, Jaylen Waddle, NFL Draft, Philaldelphia Eagles, Wide receiver