By Dan Pompei of The Sporting News.....
Springing for Jackson will be a leap of faith
Posted: April 7, 2006
The draft story of Chad Jackson is a story of jumps.
Vertical jumps, broad jumps, jumps in draft stock, jumping to conclusions and, most likely, a leap of faith.
Even though the Florida receiver has improved his draft standing considerably since the end of the 2005 season, it will take a leap of faith for a team to take him in the first round, where he almost certainly will go.
This is what we know about Jackson: He can run fast. (He ran a 4.32 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine.) He has size. (He measured in at 6-0 7/8, 213.) He is explosive. (He had a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump and 10-2 broad jump.)
This is what we don't know about Jackson: why he didn't play as he tested.
Jackson didn't play poorly. As a junior in 2005, he tied the Florida school record for receptions in a season with 88. He showed excellent hands and the ability to catch balls away from his body. Many of those 88 catches came on passes across the middle, so you know he's tough.
But Jackson didn't make many big plays. He averaged 10.2 yards per catch. To put that in perspective, consider this: 580 college players had better averages last season, according to STATS Inc. In fact, even if Jackson had doubled his average per catch, 14 players would have had a better average.
So we know Jackson was no threat to go vertical. Whether that was a reflection of Jackson's ability or Urban Meyer's loose change offense is debatable. But it would seem fair to give Jackson some benefit of the doubt. Says one AFC general manager, "On the tape from his sophomore year (when he played in a different scheme), it was clear he could run. A coach on the old staff used the word explosive to describe him." In 2004, Jackson averaged 22.3 yards per catch, third best in the country. But he caught only 29 passes, not enough for NFL scouts to feel completely confident in his abilities.
Should we jump to the conclusion that Jackson was a prisoner of his offense? Well, if he was, he didn't have cellmates. Meyer has been a head coach for five years -- one at Florida, two at Utah and two at Bowling Green. He has coached 18 receivers who caught 25 passes or more in a season over those five years. Of those 18 players, Jackson's average per catch was the worst. Four Gators teammates averaged more than 13 yards per catch in 2005. Steve Savoy, who went to camp with the Lions last year as an undrafted free agent but didn't make the team, averaged 16.6 yards per catch in Meyer's offense at Utah in 2003.
Although Meyer's offense did not provide many downfield opportunities for Jackson, it's clear the offense wasn't the only factor in his low average. Jackson could have done more once the ball was in his hands. You could add up all of Jackson's yards after the catch and still not have enough to constitute a proper dog walk. "He's not a run-away-from-you guy or a make-you-miss guy," says one AFC director of college scouting.
Jackson did not play fast in 2005. The elements of suddenness were missing from his game. Consequently, his route running was substandard. He rounded off corners and failed to separate. Even at the Combine, where he wasn't running routes designed by Meyer, Jackson's route running was mediocre. "He didn't drop his weight easily, and he looked uncomfortable and tight in his hips," the scouting director says. "He's not special as a route runner."
If you were charitable, or trying to justify your interest, you'd say Jackson is a raw route runner. And you wouldn't be stretching the truth. He's an inexperienced player who is likely to improve.
With the right coaching, and in the right system, only imagination can limit a player with Jackson's measurables.
But first-round picks, especially high ones, need to be used on players who have proved they can do the job. If it were my first-round pick, I'd let someone else take that chance. Nobody thinks a leap of faith will be a jump off a cliff when they take the first step.
Springing for Jackson will be a leap of faith
Posted: April 7, 2006
The draft story of Chad Jackson is a story of jumps.
Vertical jumps, broad jumps, jumps in draft stock, jumping to conclusions and, most likely, a leap of faith.
Even though the Florida receiver has improved his draft standing considerably since the end of the 2005 season, it will take a leap of faith for a team to take him in the first round, where he almost certainly will go.
This is what we know about Jackson: He can run fast. (He ran a 4.32 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine.) He has size. (He measured in at 6-0 7/8, 213.) He is explosive. (He had a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump and 10-2 broad jump.)
This is what we don't know about Jackson: why he didn't play as he tested.
Jackson didn't play poorly. As a junior in 2005, he tied the Florida school record for receptions in a season with 88. He showed excellent hands and the ability to catch balls away from his body. Many of those 88 catches came on passes across the middle, so you know he's tough.
But Jackson didn't make many big plays. He averaged 10.2 yards per catch. To put that in perspective, consider this: 580 college players had better averages last season, according to STATS Inc. In fact, even if Jackson had doubled his average per catch, 14 players would have had a better average.
So we know Jackson was no threat to go vertical. Whether that was a reflection of Jackson's ability or Urban Meyer's loose change offense is debatable. But it would seem fair to give Jackson some benefit of the doubt. Says one AFC general manager, "On the tape from his sophomore year (when he played in a different scheme), it was clear he could run. A coach on the old staff used the word explosive to describe him." In 2004, Jackson averaged 22.3 yards per catch, third best in the country. But he caught only 29 passes, not enough for NFL scouts to feel completely confident in his abilities.
Should we jump to the conclusion that Jackson was a prisoner of his offense? Well, if he was, he didn't have cellmates. Meyer has been a head coach for five years -- one at Florida, two at Utah and two at Bowling Green. He has coached 18 receivers who caught 25 passes or more in a season over those five years. Of those 18 players, Jackson's average per catch was the worst. Four Gators teammates averaged more than 13 yards per catch in 2005. Steve Savoy, who went to camp with the Lions last year as an undrafted free agent but didn't make the team, averaged 16.6 yards per catch in Meyer's offense at Utah in 2003.
Although Meyer's offense did not provide many downfield opportunities for Jackson, it's clear the offense wasn't the only factor in his low average. Jackson could have done more once the ball was in his hands. You could add up all of Jackson's yards after the catch and still not have enough to constitute a proper dog walk. "He's not a run-away-from-you guy or a make-you-miss guy," says one AFC director of college scouting.
Jackson did not play fast in 2005. The elements of suddenness were missing from his game. Consequently, his route running was substandard. He rounded off corners and failed to separate. Even at the Combine, where he wasn't running routes designed by Meyer, Jackson's route running was mediocre. "He didn't drop his weight easily, and he looked uncomfortable and tight in his hips," the scouting director says. "He's not special as a route runner."
If you were charitable, or trying to justify your interest, you'd say Jackson is a raw route runner. And you wouldn't be stretching the truth. He's an inexperienced player who is likely to improve.
With the right coaching, and in the right system, only imagination can limit a player with Jackson's measurables.
But first-round picks, especially high ones, need to be used on players who have proved they can do the job. If it were my first-round pick, I'd let someone else take that chance. Nobody thinks a leap of faith will be a jump off a cliff when they take the first step.
