Draft Analysis: Jaylen Waddle

March 10, 2021 /
  • Height: 5’10”
  • Weight: 182lbs
  • College: Alabama
  • Tape watched: Georgia 2020, Texas A&M 2020, Missouri 2020
  • NFL Comparison: Tyreek Hill and a sprinkle of CeeDee Lamb

Pros

  • Speed
    No need to waste time on this, Waddle has elite speed. He will run by most corners in the NFL and most quarterback arms as well. His speed and acceleration is special.
  • Route Running
    Waddle is so impressive transitioning and pacing through his routes. His ability to keep his shoulders and hips square leaves defenders clueless of his route breaks. Pair that with his absurd acceleration and there is no chance to man-cover Jaylen Waddle. He gets a boost with his route tree playing at Alabama as well. He can get lazy on backside routes, probably more reason to the elite level of talent on the other side more than his effort, but something to note.
Completely outrageous Waddle can chop and go like this.
  • Blocking
    Waddle left me impressed with his effort and technique level blocking for screens and runs. He stalks corners very well and is able to get in the way at a minimum. He squares up and has good engagement on his first punch. When he locks in he drives defenders downfield.
  • YAC
    Not an overly powerful runner, and not among the elusive elites, but his stop and start, pure speed, and ball carrier vision puts him near the top of YAC receivers. Any space given to Jaylen Waddle could end up as points on the scoreboard.
  • Tracking
    Waddle tracks passes over his shoulder very well on both sides of his body. He has good hands in most situations. He showed the ability to catch outside of his frame. He is natural at absorbing contact and protecting the ball once he gets hands on it.
Aside from the dime Mac Jones drops here, Waddle shows laser focus with two defenders in his peripheral and the back of the endzone approaching.
Combat catches change nothing for Waddle.

Cons

  • Injury History
    Healthy through almost his entire college career, Waddle suffered a complicated broken ankle against Tennessee. Saban ruled him out for the season immediately after the injury. However, Waddle returned for the National Championship game and hardly looked recovered, limping heavily around the field. He is questionable to attend Alabama’s Pro Day, so it is at least viable to question his long-term health and recovery back to his usual form.
  • Route Breaks
    Waddle sometimes rounds route breaks and can tip his hand to his route depth based on his release. Waddle tends to release relaxed and sometimes it feels he is not part of the play on short routes. With his raw tools, he is able to mask a lot of these details.
  • Hands
    While nothing is a glaring weakness, there is a case to be made that Waddle uses his body and forearms to catch more passes than needed. With any basket catch, the likelihood of drops increase.

Overview

Jaylen Waddle is a draft commodity that isn’t available year to year. The blend of pure speed, acceleration and agility paired with his above average receiver traits makes for a prospect that teams will want to jump on early in the draft. If his injury report comes back with no issues, he very well could be the first receiver taken in April. If he can polish his route breaks and become more consistent with releases we are looking at a Tyreek Hill type of impact player.