WR1: The Case For Jaylen Waddle
During the 2020 NFL Draft, two wide receivers from Alabama were selected within the first 15 picks in Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy. Looking ahead to 2021, history could repeat itself with wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.
Smith and Waddle will both be in contention to be the first wide receiver selected, especially after how they’ve played during this season. While Smith has continued his production pace from last season, it was Waddle that improved his numbers during the first month of the SEC season. Unfortunately for Waddle, he suffered a potentially season-ending injury on the opening kickoff against Tennessee.
While he only played in four games this year, Waddle’s shown enough to be considered a future alpha wide receiver on an NFL roster. His traits suggest future all-pro potential.
Waddle burst onto the scene as a true freshman back in 2018, earning SEC Freshman of the year honors. Despite being a part of a four-headed monster at wide receiver, he posted 848 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns on just 57 targets.
While his production slipped a bit last season, it wasn’t due to a regression of efficiency. Waddle was targeted less as a sophomore than he was as a freshman, despite being one of the leaders in the country in yards per route run.
Through the first four games this season, Waddle was the best wide receiver in the country and his injury shouldn’t make teams hesitate to draft him. Waddle finished with 557 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, averaging over 22 yards per catch.
Throughout his collegiate career, Waddle’s numbers on a per target and per return basis are just otherworldly.
Despite standing 5’10 and a bit over 180 pounds, Waddle is well-built for his stature and strong when dealing with contact. While the old-school perception of a “WR1” is that of a physically dominant specimen, a lot of the trends in the NFL suggest a shift from that way of thinking.
Route separation is currently more valued than it ever has been, as receivers such as Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Calvin Ridley, Amari Cooper, Cooper Kupp, Tyler Lockett, Tyler Boyd, Robert Woods, Adam Thielen, Jarvis Landry and Cole Beasley make up over half of the current top 30 leaders in receiving yards.
The ways to identify a true WR1 is basically a three-bullet checklist.
When a wide receiver checks all of these off, they’ve become an exceptional weapon for an NFL offense. The ability to be consistently effective against defenses and/or take coverage away to improve the rest of the matchups puts the offense at a constant advantage. For Jaylen Waddle, his ability to produce despite extra attention from SEC defenses suggests that he’ll function in the NFL even with WR1 treatment.
Dominance vs. Single Coverage
Waddle’s speed is a weapon against man coverage, as he’s able to sprint by defensive backs who have already opened their hips to run. Both vertically and across the field, Waddle’s ability to separate and maintain that space against man coverage leads to consistent throwing windows.
Waddle’s route running isn’t just based on speed, as he’s developed in his pacing and horizontal breaks. On the following clips, you’ll see him use “skip” steps during his stem, easily sell double moves with explosive change of direction, and hesitate before accelerating over the middle.
Waddle’s change of direction shines on “Dig” routes, which are crossing routes that are snapped off a Post stem. Basically, the route is designed to look exactly like a Post route in order to make the defensive back open up while expecting a deep route, only for Waddle to break off that path and stay flat towards the sideline.
You’ll see Waddle’s ability to separate on these routes, over the course of numerous games. Even when the defensive back does a good job of sticking with Waddle’s speed, he’ll use a “stair step” to keep his positioning.
Extra Attention from Defense
Over the first month of the season, opposing defenses centered their gameplan around stopping Waddle. He drew double teams that allowed receivers such as the explosive John Metchie III to be single-covered on vertical routes. Defenses even aligned safeties to Waddle’s side, drawing coverage away from the talented DeVonta Smith.
Possibly the play that best showed the attention that Waddle garnered came against Ole Miss, as the entire secondary rotated to his motion and three defenders moved with him outside expecting a pass in his direction. This allowed tight end Miller Forristall to be uncovered over the middle.
Beating Double Coverage
While the extra attention and coverage from defenses creates positive matchups, elite wide receivers need to still find ways to produce despite the defensive gameplan. For Jaylen Waddle, he’s shown the ability to not only beat double coverage, but beat both defensive back’s over the top. When safety help or double coverage can’t stop a receiver from going deep, there is little a defense can do in order to slow down a vertical passing attack.
Conclusion
Waddle’s ability on a football field spans far beyond his route running, as he’s arguably more dangerous with the ball in his hands than any other prospect in the NFL Draft. Waddle’s ability to beat angles in space is special, even against the best defenses in the country. He led the country in yards after catch per reception as a sophomore.
His explosiveness in space translates to the return game, as his near 20 yards per punt return and 2 touchdowns makes him one of the most productive return prospects in recent memory.
Waddle has all the traits necessary to develop into an elite route runner and separator with enough NFL reps. Athletically, he’ll be near the top of the league among wide receivers the moment that he steps on to the field.
His vertical route running will be an immediate upgrade for whichever team that is lucky enough to draft him, but his progression into a complete wide receiver is the reason that he’ll be near the top of the NFL Draft board come April.