Chad Jackson, is he that good? (1 Viewer)

[Family Matters]

I've seen all the excitement about Chad Jackson after his solid combine performance and many have moved him up to #1. The Sporting News has an interesting take that's worth the read if you can. It was in the April 14 edition. To summarize, They point out that last year his YPC was only 10.2. This was the lowest on the Fl team. In fact 580 other college players had a better YPC.

Clearly his YAC was low and that leaves many wondering why? He actually had a better YPC of 22.3 the year before but that was only 29 catches.

Of Meyer's past WR's, he has had 18 WR's that caught 25 or more balls for his teams. Out those guys Jackson had the lowest YPC.

On balance they feel he is a gamble as a first round WR. Not saying he isn't a good WR but there isn't much evidence to support it.

I think the lack upper end WR's in this draft is benefitting him nicely. Of course it's not his fault but it sounds like it's buyer beware on him.

 

[cstu]

Here's the article:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=spri...v=tsn&type=lgns

Springing for Jackson will be a leap of faith

By Dan Pompei - SportingNews

Dan Pompei

SportingNews.com

The draft story of Chad Jackson is a story of jumps.

Vertical jumps, broad jumps, jumps in draft stock, jumping to conclusions and, most likely, a leap of faith.

Even though the Florida receiver has improved his draft standing considerably since the end of the 2005 season, it will take a leap of faith for a team to take him in the first round, where he almost certainly will go.

This is what we know about Jackson: He can run fast. (He ran a 4.32 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine.) He has size. (He measured in at 6-0 7/8, 213.) He is explosive. (He had a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump and 10-2 broad jump.)

This is what we don't know about Jackson: why he didn't play as he tested.

Jackson didn't play poorly. As a junior in 2005, he tied the Florida school record for receptions in a season with 88. He showed excellent hands and the ability to catch balls away from his body. Many of those 88 catches came on passes across the middle, so you know he's tough.

But Jackson didn't make many big plays. He averaged 10.2 yards per catch. To put that in perspective, consider this: 580 college players had better averages last season, according to STATS Inc. In fact, even if Jackson had doubled his average per catch, 14 players would have had a better average.

So we know Jackson was no threat to go vertical. Whether that was a reflection of Jackson's ability or Urban Meyer's loose change offense is debatable. But it would seem fair to give Jackson some benefit of the doubt. Says one AFC general manager, "On the tape from his sophomore year (when he played in a different scheme), it was clear he could run. A coach on the old staff used the word explosive to describe him." In 2004, Jackson averaged 22.3 yards per catch, third best in the country. But he caught only 29 passes, not enough for NFL scouts to feel completely confident in his abilities.

Should we jump to the conclusion that Jackson was a prisoner of his offense? Well, if he was, he didn't have cellmates. Meyer has been a head coach for five years -- one at Florida, two at Utah and two at Bowling Green. He has coached 18 receivers who caught 25 passes or more in a season over those five years. Of those 18 players, Jackson's average per catch was the worst. Four Gators teammates averaged more than 13 yards per catch in 2005. Steve Savoy, who went to camp with the Lions last year as an undrafted free agent but didn't make the team, averaged 16.6 yards per catch in Meyer's offense at Utah in 2003.

Although Meyer's offense did not provide many downfield opportunities for Jackson, it's clear the offense wasn't the only factor in his low average. Jackson could have done more once the ball was in his hands. You could add up all of Jackson's yards after the catch and still not have enough to constitute a proper dog walk. "He's not a run-away-from-you guy or a make-you-miss guy," says one AFC director of college scouting.

Jackson did not play fast in 2005. The elements of suddenness were missing from his game. Consequently, his route running was substandard. He rounded off corners and failed to separate. Even at the Combine, where he wasn't running routes designed by Meyer, Jackson's route running was mediocre. "He didn't drop his weight easily, and he looked uncomfortable and tight in his hips," the scouting director says. "He's not special as a route runner."

If you were charitable, or trying to justify your interest, you'd say Jackson is a raw route runner. And you wouldn't be stretching the truth. He's an inexperienced player who is likely to improve.

With the right coaching, and in the right system, only imagination can limit a player with Jackson's measurables.

But first-round picks, especially high ones, need to be used on players who have proved they can do the job. If it were my first-round pick, I'd let someone else take that chance. Nobody thinks a leap of faith will be a jump off a cliff when they take the first step.

Senior writer Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at pompei@sportingnews.com.

 

[Rev]

I think it will take Jackson a long time to become a solid NFL WR. His route running and polish are truly suspect. He really struggled in those drills at the combine (I watched it on the NFL network). Aside from his measurables, he's a ways from being a finished product.

 

[Chaos Commish]

I think it will take Jackson a long time to become a solid NFL WR. His route running and polish are truly suspect. He really struggled in those drills at the combine (I watched it on the NFL network). Aside from his measurables, he's a ways from being a finished product.

I just don't like any of these high rated WRs. I do like some of the less hyped quite a bit from a value perspective. I wouldn't argue that Jeff Webb is better than Chad Jackson. I would argue they have a pretty similar chance for success. I feel the same way about Willie Reid and Sinorice Moss. You can probably have Reid in the 6th or 7th round. Santonio Holmes, Demetrius Williams or Greg Jennings? Eh, I dunno who will be better, but I think they all could be good, and I'd rather take Williams or Jennings in the 3rd than Holmes in the 1st.

 

[King of the Jungle]

I think it will take Jackson a long time to become a solid NFL WR. His route running and polish are truly suspect. He really struggled in those drills at the combine (I watched it on the NFL network). Aside from his measurables, he's a ways from being a finished product.

I just don't like any of these high rated WRs. I do like some of the less hyped quite a bit from a value perspective. I wouldn't argue that Jeff Webb is better than Chad Jackson. I would argue they have a pretty similar chance for success. I feel the same way about Willie Reid and Sinorice Moss. You can probably have Reid in the 6th or 7th round. Santonio Holmes, Demetrius Williams or Greg Jennings? Eh, I dunno who will be better, but I think they all could be good, and I'd rather take Williams or Jennings in the 3rd than Holmes in the 1st.

So what is the main gripe about Holmes (good route runner, speed, toughness, hard worker, good hands)? Is the fact that he is not 6 foot the big knock?

 

[-OZ-]

I think it will take Jackson a long time to become a solid NFL WR. His route running and polish are truly suspect. He really struggled in those drills at the combine (I watched it on the NFL network). Aside from his measurables, he's a ways from being a finished product.

I just don't like any of these high rated WRs. I do like some of the less hyped quite a bit from a value perspective. I wouldn't argue that Jeff Webb is better than Chad Jackson. I would argue they have a pretty similar chance for success. I feel the same way about Willie Reid and Sinorice Moss. You can probably have Reid in the 6th or 7th round. Santonio Holmes, Demetrius Williams or Greg Jennings? Eh, I dunno who will be better, but I think they all could be good, and I'd rather take Williams or Jennings in the 3rd than Holmes in the 1st.

You summed up my feelings very well CC.

I've traded back a few times, acquiring 2nd rounders for this reason.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I would think the Sporting News would have better information than this. Jackson showed in '04 that he can make plays downfield. Really, he's a big play receiver. In a recent interview with him that's what he mentioned his strength was.

However, the Gators had an abundance of playmakers without any true possession guys in an offense that didn't go downfield much. Jackson was put into the possession role because Caldwell and Baker couldn't do it, and while he didn't have a lot of YAC, a big part of that is that he spent the majority of his time running 8 yard hitch routes in which he was hit in the back as the ball got to him.

There's a bit of a running joke around here in G-ville. In '04 and early '05 Chad Jackson's nickname was "Big Play Chad". After being thrust into the possession role this past season, his nickname changed to "Quick Hitch Chad".

Simply put, it was a result of the system and the role he was put into.

 

[Chaos Commish]

I would think the Sporting News would have better information than this. Jackson showed in '04 that he can make plays downfield. Really, he's a big play receiver. In a recent interview with him that's what he mentioned his strength was.

However, the Gators had an abundance of playmakers without any true possession guys in an offense that didn't go downfield much. Jackson was put into the possession role because Caldwell and Baker couldn't do it, and while he didn't have a lot of YAC, a big part of that is that he spent the majority of his time running 8 yard hitch routes in which he was hit in the back as the ball got to him.

There's a bit of a running joke around here in G-ville. In '04 and early '05 Chad Jackson's nickname was "Big Play Chad". After being thrust into the possession role this past season, his nickname changed to "Quick Hitch Chad".

Simply put, it was a result of the system and the role he was put into.

I can agree with most of that, but I know some pretty sharp Gator fans who take issue with Chad being so highly rated, and one who likes Caldwell (or maybe Baker, I forget) better.I know a scout who says Jackson's 40 isn't applicable because he never plays that fast. You would expect a guy as hyped as him to turn a bunch of those hitches into huge plays, but like you said. He's not much of a run after the catch guy. Either is the great CJ though.

All I'm saying is there's better options in the first round and plenty of more polished potentially good receivers available later. If it's the second round, I need a receiver, Holmes is gone, the best OLs are gone, the best DLs are gone, the stud DBs are gone... then I take Jackson for his upside... maybe.

 

[Chaos Commish]

So what is the main gripe about Holmes (good route runner, speed, toughness, hard worker, good hands)? Is the fact that he is not 6 foot the big knock?

I like Holmes better than Jackson. I don't have a real knock on him other than I don't see him as an elite WR talent. A solid player for sure. But by season's end he didn't look better than Ginn Jr. to me. I don't think he plays as fast as he times either. I am worried a little about the off-field business. He has three kids through two different moms living in two different states and he's pretty busy juggling the commitments. I hear he's a fine young man, but I know a little about broken homes and employees and all I can say is the baggage complicates things. Focus is a problem. Is he mature enough to balance all this and the rigors of the NFL? There's some other very good football players available without these issues. Some of them probably grade higher on the big board, but they're falling lower because Holmes is coming out in a weak year at his position when other positions are loaded.

 

[Imedos]

Chad is a concern, and he is a gamble.

Yes, he has awesome measurables and can make good catches from a machine in a made for tv challenge event, but he has not demonstrated that he can run satisfactory routes yet, and given his bad YAC, he is going to have to be more of a downfield threat and learn how to run those routes, which is something a lot of recievers struggle with.

Santonio is the only wr in the draft worth a 1st rounder imo.

 

[Portis 26]

To be honest, I thought this was a poor piece of writing. It talks about Jackson being no threat to go vertical last season, and then casually mentions that he averaged 22.3 yards per catch the previous season. The difference would certainly appear to be a result of the system.

 

[Bri]

The more I read about this crop of rookie WRs I feel like I'm reading about Duckett and Green years ago. You heard plenty saying it wasn't a strong class and it just seemed like they were sugarcoating the top guys potential. Time will tell but I'm wonderring if there aren't a bunch of eh players here.

Little worried because "my" pats need WRs but....

 

[Imedos]

To be honest, I thought this was a poor piece of writing. It talks about Jackson being no threat to go vertical last season, and then casually mentions that he averaged 22.3 yards per catch the previous season. The difference would certainly appear to be a result of the system.

big difference between getting 22.3 YPC as a wr3 and doing it as a wr1.

 

[Family Matters]

Here's the article:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=spri...v=tsn&type=lgns

Springing for Jackson will be a leap of faith

By Dan Pompei - SportingNews

Dan Pompei

SportingNews.com

The draft story of Chad Jackson is a story of jumps.

Vertical jumps, broad jumps, jumps in draft stock, jumping to conclusions and, most likely, a leap of faith.

Even though the Florida receiver has improved his draft standing considerably since the end of the 2005 season, it will take a leap of faith for a team to take him in the first round, where he almost certainly will go.

This is what we know about Jackson: He can run fast. (He ran a 4.32 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine.) He has size. (He measured in at 6-0 7/8, 213.) He is explosive. (He had a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump and 10-2 broad jump.)

This is what we don't know about Jackson: why he didn't play as he tested.

Jackson didn't play poorly. As a junior in 2005, he tied the Florida school record for receptions in a season with 88. He showed excellent hands and the ability to catch balls away from his body. Many of those 88 catches came on passes across the middle, so you know he's tough.

But Jackson didn't make many big plays. He averaged 10.2 yards per catch. To put that in perspective, consider this: 580 college players had better averages last season, according to STATS Inc. In fact, even if Jackson had doubled his average per catch, 14 players would have had a better average.

So we know Jackson was no threat to go vertical. Whether that was a reflection of Jackson's ability or Urban Meyer's loose change offense is debatable. But it would seem fair to give Jackson some benefit of the doubt. Says one AFC general manager, "On the tape from his sophomore year (when he played in a different scheme), it was clear he could run. A coach on the old staff used the word explosive to describe him." In 2004, Jackson averaged 22.3 yards per catch, third best in the country. But he caught only 29 passes, not enough for NFL scouts to feel completely confident in his abilities.

Should we jump to the conclusion that Jackson was a prisoner of his offense? Well, if he was, he didn't have cellmates. Meyer has been a head coach for five years -- one at Florida, two at Utah and two at Bowling Green. He has coached 18 receivers who caught 25 passes or more in a season over those five years. Of those 18 players, Jackson's average per catch was the worst. Four Gators teammates averaged more than 13 yards per catch in 2005. Steve Savoy, who went to camp with the Lions last year as an undrafted free agent but didn't make the team, averaged 16.6 yards per catch in Meyer's offense at Utah in 2003.

Although Meyer's offense did not provide many downfield opportunities for Jackson, it's clear the offense wasn't the only factor in his low average. Jackson could have done more once the ball was in his hands. You could add up all of Jackson's yards after the catch and still not have enough to constitute a proper dog walk. "He's not a run-away-from-you guy or a make-you-miss guy," says one AFC director of college scouting.

Jackson did not play fast in 2005. The elements of suddenness were missing from his game. Consequently, his route running was substandard. He rounded off corners and failed to separate. Even at the Combine, where he wasn't running routes designed by Meyer, Jackson's route running was mediocre. "He didn't drop his weight easily, and he looked uncomfortable and tight in his hips," the scouting director says. "He's not special as a route runner."

If you were charitable, or trying to justify your interest, you'd say Jackson is a raw route runner. And you wouldn't be stretching the truth. He's an inexperienced player who is likely to improve.

With the right coaching, and in the right system, only imagination can limit a player with Jackson's measurables.

But first-round picks, especially high ones, need to be used on players who have proved they can do the job. If it were my first-round pick, I'd let someone else take that chance. Nobody thinks a leap of faith will be a jump off a cliff when they take the first step.

Senior writer Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at pompei@sportingnews.com.

Thanks for posting that.

 

[Family Matters]

I would think the Sporting News would have better information than this. Jackson showed in '04 that he can make plays downfield. Really, he's a big play receiver. In a recent interview with him that's what he mentioned his strength was.

However, the Gators had an abundance of playmakers without any true possession guys in an offense that didn't go downfield much. Jackson was put into the possession role because Caldwell and Baker couldn't do it, and while he didn't have a lot of YAC, a big part of that is that he spent the majority of his time running 8 yard hitch routes in which he was hit in the back as the ball got to him.

There's a bit of a running joke around here in G-ville. In '04 and early '05 Chad Jackson's nickname was "Big Play Chad". After being thrust into the possession role this past season, his nickname changed to "Quick Hitch Chad".

Simply put, it was a result of the system and the role he was put into.

I think they covered it well. They addressed his prior years. The concern is that he had very few plays in which to base much on. And there is the problem. Which guy will the NFL be getting? Based on his performance so far, he does not appear to be 1st round material. Doesn't mean he isn't but if someone drafts him in the 1st they will do so based on hype and not on evidence of his on field performance.

 

[Family Matters]

So what is the main gripe about Holmes (good route runner, speed, toughness, hard worker, good hands)? Is the fact that he is not 6 foot the big knock?

I like Holmes better than Jackson. I don't have a real knock on him other than I don't see him as an elite WR talent. A solid player for sure. But by season's end he didn't look better than Ginn Jr. to me. I don't think he plays as fast as he times either. I am worried a little about the off-field business. He has three kids through two different moms living in two different states and he's pretty busy juggling the commitments. I hear he's a fine young man, but I know a little about broken homes and employees and all I can say is the baggage complicates things. Focus is a problem. Is he mature enough to balance all this and the rigors of the NFL? There's some other very good football players available without these issues. Some of them probably grade higher on the big board, but they're falling lower because Holmes is coming out in a weak year at his position when other positions are loaded.

I'm not sure I can agree with your post on Holmes. What you state are concerns are things you have no actual information on. You are assumming these to be issues where in reality they have never been a problem. In fact it's his family that motivates him. He's mature beyond his years.As for the seaon's end performance, did you see him play? In the ND bowl game he had 5-124 & 1-TD. At Mi he was 6-72 & 1-TD. Against Ill he was 3-59 with 2 TD's. And keep in mind he was double teamed the entire season and still made plays.

I'm sure you heard some things but to make judgements on info that is loosely rumors at best doesn't begin to tell us what this guy is all about. He never gets into trouble. He was a great leader on the team for 2 years. He is a family man that loves his wife and kids. Making comparisons to other NFL players is hardly a good idea because in reality he looks like a Saint compared to the many in the NFL world.

Justr wanted to set the record straight.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I would think the Sporting News would have better information than this. Jackson showed in '04 that he can make plays downfield. Really, he's a big play receiver. In a recent interview with him that's what he mentioned his strength was.

However, the Gators had an abundance of playmakers without any true possession guys in an offense that didn't go downfield much. Jackson was put into the possession role because Caldwell and Baker couldn't do it, and while he didn't have a lot of YAC, a big part of that is that he spent the majority of his time running 8 yard hitch routes in which he was hit in the back as the ball got to him.

There's a bit of a running joke around here in G-ville. In '04 and early '05 Chad Jackson's nickname was "Big Play Chad". After being thrust into the possession role this past season, his nickname changed to "Quick Hitch Chad".

Simply put, it was a result of the system and the role he was put into.

I can agree with most of that, but I know some pretty sharp Gator fans who take issue with Chad being so highly rated, and one who likes Caldwell (or maybe Baker, I forget) better.I know a scout who says Jackson's 40 isn't applicable because he never plays that fast. You would expect a guy as hyped as him to turn a bunch of those hitches into huge plays, but like you said. He's not much of a run after the catch guy. Either is the great CJ though.

All I'm saying is there's better options in the first round and plenty of more polished potentially good receivers available later. If it's the second round, I need a receiver, Holmes is gone, the best OLs are gone, the best DLs are gone, the stud DBs are gone... then I take Jackson for his upside... maybe.

Most Gators have always liked Caldwell more. Honestly, I have no idea why. Caldwell is just a straight burner that really is still living off his potential. I would go as far as saying that Jackson is a better deep threat than Caldwell because Caldwell either runs by you or doesn't make the play, but when Chad was used to stretch the field in '04 there were a lot of times where he went up in heavy traffic 30-40 yards downfield and made a play on the ball, which is why when Urban needed a guy to catch the short balls in traffic he chose Jackson, because Caldwell was too one dimensional to do it.Again, the YAC arguement doesn't really come into play here because he wasn't ever put into position to run after the catch. These weren't balls out into the open field where he had a chance to make a move on a defender 1 on 1. Leak was very predictable with where he went with the ball. 3rd and 8 he's throwing an 8 yard hitch to Chad, 4th and 12 he's throwing a 12 yard hitch to Chad, and the defense could see it just as easily as we could from the stands. As such, if you were watching a replay of all of Chad's catches this year you'd be shocked at how many of them he made while standing still and getting hit before he has controlled the ball, or caught standing still amongst a crowd of defenders. Walter Payton couldn't have taken those situations and turned them into a big play.

That being said, I do think Jackson regressed a bit as a receiver in '05 because he was misused so the few times he did get sent downfield he wasn't as impressive as before, mostly because he hadn't had any practice doing it in over a year. I think if put in a situation where he is expected to make those kind of plays he can be very very good at it. Again, if you ask him which type of WR he is (the one in '04 or the one in '05) he will tell you he's the guy from '04 (as he has in a couple interviews). He prefers to be a down the field thread and not an 8 yard hitch guy, it's not his fault that he was the only two dimensional receiver on the Gators' squad this past year and hence was forced into the short role.

 

[MU Seminole]

Caldwell wasn't a factor because he missed nine games to injury.

I very much agree that Jackson is raw. I consider him an athlete at this point rather than a WR. Most of his catches (88, right?) came on little swing routes. Heck, in addition to the 88 rec, he had 16 rushes - that's how Meyer used him.

Bottom line is that I agree with several here - he's a risk and Santonio may be the only true first rounder. I'm happy to roll the dice on someone in the next tier that I can get in the middle/end of Rd 2 in dynasty rookie drafts.