Athleticism Jalen Tolbert, while he measured well under his listed 6’3″ at the Senior Bowl, is still a physical specimen. A very tall and somewhat lanky body, that is powerful and can flat out run by defenders. He is difficult to tackle in the open field as well. He highpoints footballs well, has great body control in the air and on the sideline, and rarely backs down from contested catches.
Deep Threat Tolbert hauled in a nationwide 5th most deep receptions and averaged 18.0 yards per reception in 2021 per PFF. He has such a smooth stride that looks effortless down the field. He is strong enough to stack and keep defenders on his hip. He is going to be an excellent weapon in man coverage and one on one opportunities.
Hands Consistency is a question mark with Tolbert, but he made some incredible catches in college. He is able to win 50/50 balls in the air, diving catches on the ground, and sideline grabs. He secures the ball well with his hands, rarely opting to body-catch. He has a few focus drops on tapes, but the skill is all there.
Release One of my favorite skills of Tolbert’s is his release. He is so sudden off the line of scrimmage and maintains great position. He has quick feet and a high tier split-release technique. He shows a variety of releases with jab steps and hesitation moves as well. He knows exactly how to manipulate cornerback leverages. https://twitter.com/BGWhitefield/status/1488905930964348930?t=_byr9X8D5nqGy0-oU3lDtw&s=19
This split and hesitation release is incredible. The defensive back loses his inside leverage after Tolbert’s second fake outside. Too smooth and easy for Tolbert.
Midline
Route Running With way more good than bad on tape, Tolbert could add consistency into his route running. He snaps down route breaks very well. He does a great job of staying square and selling vertical on all of his route stems. He does tend to be an upright route runner, and can be impacted at times through his route by contact. Corners have extra time on route breaks if receivers pop up at the top of their stems.
RAC Able to slip tackles on the boundary, Tolbert can turn a normal first down into six points. He does not posses great lateral agility, but he understands that and plays his game north and south. He finds run lanes well and generally falls forward on tackles. While he isn’t classified as dynamic with the football, he does more than enough to get the job done.
Cons
Blocking Maybe the only glaring weakness of Jalen Tolbert is his ability to block consistently.
Tolbert misses both available players to block on this play.Tolbert does a better job of setting up the block, but there is no drive phase and the screen loses four yards.
Overview
Jalen Tolbert is rightfully capturing the attention of draft scouts and analysts this week at the Senior Bowl. Despite playing at South Alabama, he already had his share of hype. Tolbert offers smooth route running that delivers exciting big play abilities at the catch point. His release puts defenders on skates and Tolbert separates with his strides. An eye opening combine may start whisperings of a late first round entry in the NFL draft.