2021 NFL draft prospect profile: Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
2021 NFL draft prospect Jaylen Waddle NFL draft profile;
NFL Draft Prospect Jaylen Waddl;
-- Height: 5'10"
-- Weight: 182 pounds
-- Position: Wide Receiver / Punt Returner
-- School: Alabama
The NFL Draft is soon approaching and it seems Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has settled in nicely as almost everyone’s consensus #3 wide receiver for the upcoming NFL Draft, is this fair to Waddle? Is he being underrated or overrated by scouts?
NFL Draft Profile; Jaylen Waddle Strengths
Jaylen Waddle is a typical Alabama player, a natural hard worker coming from a winning program. Waddle works best as a speed threat who stretches the field vertically (Waddle averaged 18.9 Yards Per Reception), Waddle has a Steph Curry effect on the defense as they always have to account for where he is on the field, this helps his fellow wideouts get open. Waddle is also excellent at tracking the ball in the air as he makes his way down the field and this is an underrated strength that should translate well to the next level. Waddle also took vital reps as a return man and that experience displays itself well when it comes to Waddle’s after the catch ability, a dangerous runner in open space due to his ability to take the top off a defense. Going into the NFL Draft, fellow Bama wideout DeVonta Smith has received the majority of the plaudits, but Waddle is just as polished a route runner while having a break-away speed that no one else in this draft can seem to match.
NFL Draft Profile; Jaylen Waddle Weaknesses
Going into the 2021 NFL Draft, where Jaylen Waddle has already been tagged as a health concern, the Bama receiver sadly suffered a multitude of injuries in college. It doesn’t matter how polished Waddle might be, if he can’t stay on the field then he isn’t worth your team’s first-round selection. Another concern is that Waddle also played on a stacked team with fellow elite receivers that allowed him to feast on one on one opportunities, at the NFL level Waddle won’t have this and will be receiving attention from #1 corners. As the NFL Draft approaches, Waddle still doesn’t seem to have a consensus pick in mock drafts, many projected him on to the New York Giants, but their Free Agent activity doesn’t make receiver a core team need anymore.
2021 NFL draft prospect profiles: Jaylen Waddle's Career at Clemson
Jaylen Waddle spent all three years in Alabama and almost decided to come back for his senior year to make one more run at a national championship. Says a lot about his player mentality.
His best season in Alabama was his freshman season when Alabama won the college national championship. During his freshman season, Jaylen Waddle caught for 848 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns on only 45 catches.
Waddle played 3 years in Alabama, winning two National Championships, SEC Freshman of the Year (2018) and SEC Special Teams Player of the Year (2019).
NFL Draft Profile; Final Thoughts
Jaylen Waddle is extremely talented and at his best may have a DeSean Jackson-level influence over the offense but must land in a spot where the O/C is creative enough to make proper use of him or he risks being John Ross 2.0.