Why Commanders' UDFA Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint could be a breakout candidate in 2024 NFL season
Former Georgia wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint went undrafted but has since signed with the Washington Commanders. Rosemy-Jacksaint was a four-star recruit in 2020 and struggled to work his way onto the field for a deep Bulldogs receiving corp, recording just 11 catches over his first two years.
He became a bigger part of the rotation in 2022 (337 yards and 2 touchdowns), but really established himself as a senior, turning 34 grabs into 535 yards and 4 TDs. Looking at the Senior Bowl practices, which favor shifty separators who can take advantage of the extended space of one-on-ones, Rosemy-Jacksaint's routes became somewhat predictable, with no deceptive speed and footwork alternations.
However, he came out of his front-loaded staggered stance well, without any wasted movement and he was able to violently stick his foot in the ground for sharp transitions as a bigger body type. He also caught the first touchdown on gameday through contact.
Going to the tape, he was very disciplined with his route stems, snapped off curls well and showed great play strength. You see him battling for positioning, defeating the leverage of defenders and nudging them off at the top of routes.
Combine that with big, natural hands (zero drops on 98 targets over the past two seasons), a large catch-radius with those 33-inch arms and competitiveness with the ball in the air, hauling in seven of 11 contested targets last year. So there is a lot to like that could translate well into the NFL.
How Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint will fit with the Commanders
What really made me buy into Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and what I think the Commanders' coaching staff will fall in love with, is what he provides as a blocker. Rosemy-Jacksaint works up to off-corners under good control and is able to latch his hands inside their frame at a high rate.
You can deploy him in closer splits, cracking back on safeties, getting a tight grip on the point-man of bunches, or even pinning edge defenders inside on plays out to the perimeter. And you see this guy’s hands stay attached until the echo of the whistle a lot of times to take defenders for a ride.
Is there anybody Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint's profile reminds you of, thinking about what new GM Adam Peters had in San Francisco? Jauan Jennings is who came to mind for me. Just like the Niners' dirty-work receiver and chain-mover, the question with the former Bulldog is the long speed, backed up by running a disappointing 4.81 at Georgia’s pro day.
Washington’s offense will have a much more spread-out look than San Francisco's with the combination of OC Kliff Kingsbury and second-overall pick Jayden Daniels. However, to complement a smaller receiving corp, I think as a big slot and role player to help get the run game off the ground, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint has a good chance of making the roster.
Assuming they’re looking at different options for the return game, this guy offers more on offense than Dax Milne.