Draft Analysis: Jadon Haselwood

December 28, 2022 /
  • Height: 6’3″
  • Weight: 202
  • College: Arkansas
  • Tape watched: Ole Miss, Auburn, Cincinnati, 2021 Texas
  • NFL Comparison: Demarcus Robinson

Pros

  • Hands
    Haselwood does a nice job of securing the football. He is quick to find the football in the air, and tuck it to his body. He has long arms that create a nice target, and his strong hands pluck the ball out of the air.
  • Blocking
    Haselwood shows a true commitment of finding someone to block on every play. He utilizes his length extremely well and has a great drive phase to finish blocks. He clamps his hands inside and overpowers defensive backs. He was called for holding on a touchdown run this past year, so there are details to improve on.

Midline

  • Playmaking
    Haselwood had little explosive plays in four years of college football. He appeared to be tackled easily, and wasn’t the jump ball dominator you want to see heading to the draft. There certainly are plays you get excited about, but consistency is key here.
Pre-snap motion shows Cover-1, and Haselwood gets the corner to turn his head in man coverage and successfully makes a nice back-shoulder-esq play on the ball. Teams need more of this from Haselwood.
  • Route Running
    Route running is very hot and cold for Haselwood. He seems to lack purpose often, failing to create acceleration out of his breaks, and failing to quickly read zone defenses. When he has purpose and burst, however, he cuts through defenses effectively. His route tree at Arkansas was extremely limiting.

Cons

  • Release
    I believe this will be the area that is exposed in the NFL. Much like Chase Claypool, Haselwood fails to minimize his target zone for press punches. He is also slow and tall off the snap, a major red flag in press coverage. He has solid reps that show he can fire off the ball, but they are few and far between.
  • Versatility
    His size says perimeter receiver, but his usage suggests a limited slot role. Haselwood was used almost exclusively in the slot at Arkansas. They used a heavy amount of pre-snap motion, suggesting they wanted clean releases from Haselwood. He may be drafted in the hopes of becoming a coveted matchup advantage from the slot.

Overview

A once can’t-miss recruit out of high school, Jadon Haselwood has struggled to break out at the college level. Amassing just 1,438 yards in 37 games and only 10 touchdowns is a bit disappointing for Haselwood’s hype. His explosion numbers were great heading into college, however they lack on tape. If he can show more consistency in his burst, tempo, and overall aggressiveness, he could be a steal. For now, he looks like a middle round flyer with the hopes of reaching his potential.