Rookie Player Profile: Jaelen Strong

Jacob Feldman

swot

Combine Review           

Height – 6’2”
Weight – 217 pounds
Hands – 9”
Arm Length – 32.5”
40 Yard Dash – 4.44 seconds
20 yard Shuttle – 4.19 seconds (pro-day)
Three Cone Drill – 7.33 seconds (pro-day)
Vertical Jump – 42”
Broad Jump – 123”

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

Video Clip

Strengths

  • Open even when he is covered because he uses his body so well
  • Great at the point of the catch on contested balls. He can go up and over most defenders or simply out muscle them to win the ball.
  • Very good after the catch and tough to bring down due to his strength
  • Very nice size and strength for the position with the exception of smaller hands
  • Strong hands and nice body control, which allows him to make spectacular catches from time to time

Weaknesses       

  • Doesn’t play as fast as he timed at the combine
  • Limited separation from defenders because he isn’t a very sudden athlete
  • Routes are still extremely raw. Ran a lot of bubble screens and short crosses
  • Concentration issues at time which causes him to let balls into his body or double catch a little too often

Overall Skill Set

Prior to the NFL Draft, there was some talk about Strong sneaking into the back end of the first round of the NFL draft or at least the early second round – then he suddenly slipped into the early third round and it scared off a lot of people. Strong is a far from a finished project at the wide receiver position. His route tree is limited and even the ones he is comfortable with need a lot of refinement. He isn’t sudden as a route runner and as a result they don’t help him create separation – this often forced him to make a lot of contested catches in college. Fortunately for him, he is great at positioning his body to make those contested catches regardless of if he needs to go up in the air, stretch out or just box out.

After the catch, Strong is good but not great. He has solid (but not spectacular) speed and agility on the field. His combine results were better than I expected from looking at what he does on the field. He doesn’t make a lot of defenders miss with his agility, but he is more than strong enough to brush off weak tackle attempts. If there is a crease in the open field he can hit the hole and turn a short gain into a huge play, but he isn’t going to break any ankles. Overall, Strong is a very good (but, again, not spectacular) athlete with a lot of room to grow as a receiver and could turn into a very good starter in the NFL.

Opportunities

The Texans did a little bit of house cleaning at the wide receiver position this year, letting long standing players like Andre Johnson seek a new home while bringing in multiple free agents. The one face remaining is DeAndre Hopkins who is locked in as the top target in the passing game. Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington are now Texans, but Strong has more talent than either of them. While I don’t expect it to happen at the start of the NFL season, by the end of the season I do expect Strong to be starting opposite Hopkins.

Threats

Strong is a raw prospect and it is a possibility the coaching staff could wait for him to refine some of his skills before they let him get onto to field. While Shorts and Washington aren’t spectacular by any means, if they both stay healthy they could be a good enough complement to Hopkins if Strong takes a while to figure it out. The other threat is who is throwing him the ball. The Texans have one of the worst quarterback situations in the entire league. Regardless of who “wins” the quarterback battle, they aren’t going to be the caliber of player who can do Strong any favors when it comes to development or production. You are going to need to wait a few years for Strong to be a fantasy asset.

Short-term Expectations

There are several potential stumbling blocks for Strong this year. He is a raw prospect with quite a bit of work to do on his routes. While he is more talented than some of the veterans currently in front of him, they will likely be given the first crack at the starting lineup. They will need to falter or Strong will need to really shine to be the day one starter opposite from Hopkins. Given the injury history of players like Shorts as well as the talent Strong has, I think Strong will get a chance this year to start. Then the question becomes how much will the second wide receiver on a run first team be worth with Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallett throwing the ball – I think you know the answer to that.

Long-term Expectations

Strong’s long term value hinges heavily upon his ability to run NFL caliber routes and the Texans finding a real quarterback. He won’t ever be the top target on an NFL team, but he could be a great second receiver. I think he will be able to refine his routes, but what will decide if he is just an okay compliment or a great one will be the level of refinement. If he can learn to create separation from his routes, he could be one of the best complimentary receivers in the league. The Texans are going to need a quarterback first though. Without a quarterback, I don’t think Strong will ever be more than a WR3. With a top flight passer, he could turn into a WR2 in a few years.

NFL Comparison

From a physical standpoint, Strong is built an awful lot like Larry Fitzgerald. Strong has the same strength at the position and can box people out just like Fitzgerald. Where that particular comparison falls more than a little short is with Fitzgerald being one of the best route runners in the game who also has some of the most natural hands in the league. I don’t think Strong has an upside near Fitzgerald’s level though. Instead I would say Strong could be close to someone like Dwayne Bowe. He will make a great compliment but an average at best number one on an NFL team and be somewhat dependent on the quarterback throwing him the ball.

Projected Range for a Rookie Draft

There is going to be a little bit of variation when it comes to Strong in your rookie draft. I’ve seen him go in the late first in a few leagues, ahead of players drafted much higher (like Phillip Dorsett), as well as seeing him slip to the middle of the second round. Personally, I have him right around picks 12-14 in most leagues. He isn’t going to be a productive fantasy asset this year and his ceiling is a little more limited than some, but he could be very solid if they get a quarterback next year.

[/am4show]

jacob feldman