2020 Rookie Class: An Early Look at Jerry Jeudy, WR Alabama

Joseph Nammour Posted On January 4, 2020

Jerry Jeudy has been talked up as one of the premier wide receiver prospects in the nation for a couple of seasons now, and the Alabama product is fully expected to make the jump to the professional level. All college football fanatics are familiar with his game, as he’s the most recognizable name on a depth chart filled with future NFL talent. What makes Jeudy special and how will his game translate to the next level?

As A Recruit

Jeudy was a consensus five-star recruit out of Deerfield Beach, Florida. According to 247Sports, Jeudy’s .9881 composite ranking rated him as the 21st-best overall and third-best wide receiver prospect in the country (behind Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tee Higgins).

Out of high school, the 6’1”, 187-pound Jeudy chose the Crimson Tide over offers from many other top schools, including Clemson, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, and more. The only school Jeudy visited besides Alabama was Miami, perhaps due to the proximity to his hometown of Pompano Beach, Florida.

Collegiate Career

Stats courtesy of sports-reference.com.

Jeudy’s collegiate career got off to a slower start than other top receiver prospects in the nation. In a lower-octane passing offense under Jalen Hurts in 2017, Jeudy caught just 14 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his freshman campaign while playing behind clear top dog Calvin Ridley. However, his statistical production exploded in 2018 once Ridley matriculated to the NFL.

With Ridley out of the way in 2018, Jeudy burst onto the scene, catching 68 passes for 1315 yards and 14 touchdowns. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football as a true sophomore and was able to maintain his big-play ability on significant volume, as evidenced by his 19.3 yards per reception.

Jeudy followed that up with another strong season in 2019, catching more passes than he did in 2018, although his yards per reception and touchdown numbers both dropped. Despite that, he still had one of the most impressive statistical seasons in the nation, but was actually outpaced in both yards and touchdowns by his teammate DeVonta Smith.

Athletic Profile

Jeudy is certainly a good athlete, but he likely won’t blow the doors off at the Combine like his teammate Henry Ruggs III will.

Coming out of high school, Jeudy ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash, a 4.20-second 20-yard shuttle, and jumped 37.4 inches in the vertical. He did have one of the best power throws among receivers, resulting in an above-average SPARQ rating of 104.88.

Jeudy’s change-of-direction and suddenness stand out as defining attributes of his on the field, so expect him to have very impressive times in the three-cone and short shuttle drills at the Combine. My guess is that he will run in the 4.45-4.50 range in the 40-yard dash.

Jeudy is listed at 6’1”, 192 pounds on Alabama’s official roster. Teams often list their players at more favorable measurements than they actually are, but Jeudy’s feel close to accurate. Size-wise, he’s not an imposing presence on the field and never will be, but his physicality doesn’t define him as a player.

Strengths

Elite route runner that separates with ease
Elite stop-start acceleration, feet quickness, and change-of-direction ability
Advanced vision in the open field and exciting run after catch (RAC) ability
Soft hands and good body control; tracks the ball downfield well
Young – turns just 21 the week of the 2020 NFL draft
Versatility to play inside and outside, but most natural in the slot
Instinctual and competitive player

Weaknesses

Not a very physical player and his thin frame can occasionally allow him to get redirected
Displays traits to win in contested catch situations but doesn’t consistently do so
Not a great blocker (although you don’t draft a player like Jeudy just to block, it is worth noting)
Occasionally slows himself down by over-selling head fakes and jukes – he is more effective when moving and cutting subtly
Doesn’t have standout advanced metrics (dominator rating & market share)

Draft Projection

This comparison goes beyond the jersey they shared, but Jeudy’s closest pro comparison to me is Calvin Ridley.

Ridley was one of the best receiver prospects in the 2018 class, but he was hotly debated due to his age and lack of impressive statistical production. Neither of these criticisms apply to Jeudy. The biggest argument Jeudy detractors point to is the fact that he never truly outclassed his peers at Alabama, indicating he’ll never be able to stand out in an NFL offense if he can’t stand out on his own college team. I won’t attempt to trivialize this argument, as it is a fair concern and discussion point. However, Jeudy won the Biletnikoff award in 2018 as the best wide receiver in the country. How much more is to be asked of him?

Ridley was a first-round draft pick; Jeudy is frequently projected as a top-ten pick in early 2020 NFL mock drafts as well. A player with early first-round draft capital should be viewed as a lock to be selected in the top half of the first round of dynasty rookie drafts as well.

Dynasty Value

Jeudy is my rookie WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb and will likely stay there throughout the draft process. Landing spot will matter, although one would expect an early first-round choice to be the type of impact player that supersedes situation.

Jeudy will likely be drafted first overall in some rookie drafts. I feel more comfortable with him in the 1.04 to 1.06 range in 1QB leagues, behind D’Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor, and Lamb respectively and in the same range as JK Dobbins and Travis Etienne. I’d bump him down one spot in superflex leagues, but the only quarterback I would definitively take ahead of him is Joe Burrow. I want more clarity on Tua Tagovailoa before making a decision there, but right now I’d prefer Jeudy to Tua (if he even declares).

I expected to be a bit lower on Jeudy than consensus, but he’s actually listed as the fourth overall player in the 2020 class by our devy rankers – behind the three players I named as my personal preferences. It is worth noting that he would have been my clear WR1 in the 2019 class.

Jeudy will likely be a top-20 wide receiver in dynasty ADP right away, as dynasty players have been monitoring him for quite some time now. Barring a colossal flop as a rookie, this early ADP is likely the lowest we’ll see Jeudy for quite a while, so the time to acquire him in your leagues is before he plays a snap on an NFL field — if you have the chance.