Jerry Jeudy NFL draft profile and fantasy projection

Alabama had three outstanding wide receivers with an NFL future last year, but still only one football. So when Jerry Jeudy, who caught 77 passes for 1,163 yards and 10 TDs last season, enters the draft, you’re getting a player that’s competed at the highest levels and still put up numbers despite the wealth of talent around him in Devonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III.

Scouting Report

Jeudy can be a No. 1 receiver, with the kind of explosive play ability teams need at the skill positions. He’s got NFL speed already, and mixes in the route-running and precision that can come from three years being coached at Alabama, where things are taught at the pro level already.

Jerry Jeudy aligns both as an outside WR and in the slot for the Crimson Tide spread offensive attack. He is a 3rd year player in their offensive system. In the run game, he is good. He is is exceptional with the football in his hands after the catch. He’s not overpowering but is willing to engage and will chase down defenders when others have the football. He has very good “run after catch” ability and is dynamic in the open field. He can take a hitch for a long touchdown. He is excellent in the passing game. He demonstrates very good foot quickness to defeat press, however he will need to improve his upper body strength as bigger press corners can knock him off his route at times, ultimately disrupting the timing of the offense. He is a long strider but has some suddenness off the LOS. He also shows savvy to set up defenders as a route runner and has a good understanding of how to leverage a defender in man coverage. He does a very good job of dropping his weight and showing good separation quickness when getting out of his break at the top of the route. On deep balls he shows good ability to track the football in the air and shows extremely soft hands to make the catch. Physically he has long arms and good catch radius. — Drae Harris, The Draft Network

Mixes tight, crisp route-running with impressive top-end speed to keep secondaries on eggshells throughout the game. Jeudy is high-cut and a little leggy in his press release and short-area movements, but fluid hips and above-average agility prevent any stagnation. He’s a linear route specialist with a great feel for leveraging and then stemming defenders away from his food on intermediate and deep passes. The hands need work and contested catches will be much more challenging against bigger, faster matchups across from him. Jeudy can play inside or outside but offers a unique ability to both widen or lengthen the field from the slot. His transition from deep threat to volume target in 2019 should help sell teams on his ability to become a pro-Bowl caliber WR1 who can help his offense on all three levels. — NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein

Mock Draft Results

Mel Kiper, ESPN: #13 to San Francisco 49ers
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: #12 to Las Vegas Raiders
Eric Edholm, Yahoo Sports: #13 to San Francisco 49ers
Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire: #12 to Las Vegas Raiders

Fantasy impact: Rookie year

Jeudy probably projects as a great fantasy choice if he heads to the Raiders, where he’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch balls with just Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, and Nelson Agholor on the roster currently. Those aren’t talents that would seem to be able to keep Jeudy off the field for long, and his explosiveness could see him getting plenty of chances on deep shots for TD’s.

Fantasy impact: Career

Jeudy’s explosiveness and big-play ability should keep him in the NFL for a long time as an impact player if he can stay healthy. He’ll likely need to add a bit of weight to his frame to deal with the physicality at the next level, but assuming the right kind of commitment to his craft he can be a big-time player and ideal for anyone in a keeper league. He’s going to rack up a lot of points as long as there’s enough talent around him to let his skills flourish.