Senior Bowl Roster Breakdown: Wide Receivers

The Jets coaches will have more than enough to work with at receiver.

Good morning Jets fans. This three newsletters a week isn’t going overly well at the moment is it. Maybe we just agree that if there’s something to talk about a newsletter will be in your inbox, deal? Deal.

Earlier this week I broke down the QB’s, RB’s and TE’s and yesterday I focused on the offensive line. Today I’m rounding out the offensive side of the ball with a look at the receivers. I’m going to try and give a quick overview of what I see in the players game.

First of all let’s take a look at the players who were chosen for the Jets roster:

Next I just wanted to put up a side by side comparison, just to give you an idea of their 2021 performance. Obviously you have to take into consideration the level of competition, Dotson will come up against much better competition, although he’ll also play with much better talent. Christian Watson at North Dakota State won’t face NFL calibre defensive backs on a weekly basis, but he also won’t be playing with NFL offensive starters either.

YAC/R = Yards after the catch per reception

CTC% = Contested Catch completion percentage.

Jahan Dotson - 5’11, 184lbs

Dotson is the cream of the crop when it comes to the Jets receiving group and his numbers stack up with the best of them. 2 drops on 138 targets is an outstanding %, and he was productive across the entire season. Dotson wins with his route-running and ability to create separation off the line, he has both quickness and speed and can run inside and out, 75% of his snaps in 2021 came out wide but he does offer the versatility to run from the slot. If you like watching pure route runners who sell their double moves and seem to generate separation at will, he’s going to be the guy for you.

My Grade: Borderline 1st Round

Romeo Doubs - 6’2, 200lbs

Doubs was Carson Strong’s most dynamic playmaker in Nevada and his straight line speed is elite and will worry NFL CB’s enough to open up underneath routes. His hands have improved considerably over his career and he’s a dangerous runner with the ball in his hands. He plays physically and his ability to go up and get contested footballs is outlined with his 60% contested catch number. His foot quickness has also improved and while he’s nowhere close to the route-runner that someone like Dotson is, he has enough in his bag to make a lot of plays in the NFL.

My Grade: Late 2nd, Early 3rd

Bo Melton - 5’11, 195lbs

Melton is another speedster who may run a sub 4.4 at the combine, he wins with quickness off the line and he transforms into a running back with the ball in his hands. I like Melton’s body control and ability to adjust with the ball in the air. Saying that, there were some poor drops on tape and when contested he was unable to bring down the football which is evidenced by his 25% success rate in those situations. He does offer some special teams upside, but I can’t see him playing outside at the next level.

My Grade: 6th Round

Alec Pierce - 6’3, 213lbs

Pierce is an interesting if inconsistent prospect. He has excellent size and length and his short area quickness and long speed will likely be on show at the combine. You want to see him win more contested balls, but he does show the ability to pluck the ball out of the air and his ability to cut is good for a man his size. He has played both outside and inside and he could continue to do that at the next level. Pierce was often a deep threat and he’s known to round his cuts in the short and intermediate game, which is something he’ll need to improve if he wants to get separation at the next level.

My Grade: 4th Round

Khalil Shakir - 6’0, 185lbs

Shakir is an interesting prospect, he shows good quickness and a real understanding of where to sit down in zone coverage. He’s brought down some excellent deep balls showcasing real body control, balance and in-flight adjustment. Saying that there is one big problem with Shakir and that’s the drops. If you’re dropping in double digits at the college level that doesn’t bode well for the NFL level where you’re more likely to be catching in traffic. He’s a smooth route runner, but don’t expect much in the run game.

My Grade: 5th Round Pick

Christian Watson - 6’5, 208lbs

Watson is one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft, a man his size shouldn’t run in the low 4.4’s but that’s exactly what he’s expected to run in the pre-draft process. His quickness off the line eats up corner cushion quickly. When you combine this with plus route-running ability and acceleration out of his cuts, you have a very interesting prospect who may turn some heads in Mobile. 5 drops on 62 targets is something to watch and a 6’5 receiver playing in the FCS should be coming down with more than 50% of their contested catches, but I expect his size, length and speed combination to draw some real interest early on day three.

My Grade: 4th Round