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Trying to think of all the points I've been raising in favor of Jaylen Waddle the last couple of weeks, between our @3YardsPerCarry podcasts and yesterday's @5ReasonsSports draft coverage broadcasts. But I'll start with this:
I had him ahead of Ja'Marr Chase. And so did Miami.
I had him ahead of Ja'Marr Chase. And so did Miami.
I tried to tell people, when it comes to Jaylen Waddle, keep in mind what we don't know. We've not seen him run a forty, but NFL teams don't need to. They have all the GPS data they could want on Waddle. But look at this race he ran with Henry Ruggs, who ran an electronic 4.27.
Rumors are Jaylen Waddle's play-speed GPS data is really good. There other fast guys out there, sure. But not all of them play as fast, because it's hard to focus on details (like catching the ball?) when going all-out fast. Obviously, Waddle can. https://twitter.com/ckparrot/status/1377325262640136192?s=20
This is an example but keep in mind it's based on AI processing of video footage, NOT the chip and GPS data that Alabama have on their players and will have furnished to NFL teams. Even so, this is blistering. https://twitter.com/TDAlabamaMag/status/1380505824007757827?s=20
Look at this setup vs. Missouri. The defensive coordinator called it perfectly. Frankly, McCorkle shouldn't have thrown this. Waddle is truly doubled. He ran right through it and caught this TD with enough separation to be an uncontested catch. https://twitter.com/ckparrot/status/1384657026396078081?s=20
Two more GPS measures of import: 1) loss of speed while cutting, 2) fatigue.
Let's talk about fatigue. Watch this in final 2 min vs. Missouri. Easy TD the QB missed. Waddle makes everyone on the field look like they're standing still. It's late, everyone is fatigued. Not Waddle.
Let's talk about fatigue. Watch this in final 2 min vs. Missouri. Easy TD the QB missed. Waddle makes everyone on the field look like they're standing still. It's late, everyone is fatigued. Not Waddle.
And then of course the speed while cutting. Nick Saban says he's never seen a player that can maintain speed while cutting like Waddle can. And trust me, Alabama's players are chipped up and have GPS data tracking them in practices and games, so there's data to back that up.
The reason I ultimately came to suspect Miami would steer toward Waddle over Devonta, and yes, over Ja'Marr Chase (according to @RapSheet) is because the other two had strikes against them that Miami was likely to care about. https://twitter.com/ckparrot/status/1384280575146528774?s=20
Chris Grier and Brian Flores both have prototype backgrounds and, whether I think it's ultimately meaningful or not, Devonta Smith's 166 lbs. at 6'0" height defies prototypes. Does Waddle's being 5095 & 180 lbs. defy prototypes? Not really. He fits the speed receiver phenotype.
Ja'Marr Chase opted out, hasn't played in a year, hasn't played the slot position that Miami needs. He's going to suit up, not having played much college football, no experience in the slot, won't have played in two years, and you're going to throw him into the slot as a rookie?
Jaylen Waddle had no cons Miami was likely to care about. He fits the type of player he's trying to be. Played in 2020. He's a slot, that's what they need. Fits the speed dimension they're trying to add. Unimpeachable character. Derrick Henry & Kenyan Drake had the same injury.
Fit isn't just about outside vs. slot. I've said this many times, Will Fuller is vertical stretch, and Jaylen Waddle is horizontal stretch. Both players can also hit you vice versa, but these are their specialties. That's going to put pressure on defenses, opening up the middle.
Going back to character, Saban once said this is two years in a row the most popular personality in the Alabama locker room went down with a bad injury. He was speaking of course about Tua Tagovailoa in 2019, but also Jaylen Waddle in 2020. https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/alabama-football/nick-saban-clarifies-jaylen-waddle-comments-calls-him-alabamas-most-popular-player/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
I know there's a route tree criticism of Waddle, and I'm not going to say it's baseless. He had a certain role. But at the same time, let's not pretend he didn't get open vs. man coverage on a variety of routes. Let's not pretend he was one dimensional. https://twitter.com/MattHarmon_BYB/status/1387935811581079554?s=20
Waddle has a similar profile to the headliner in free agency, Will Fuller. Fuller has always been a speed guy, but that's never made him one-dimensional. Will has a history of getting hurt, obviously. If he went down, Waddle could fill in on a lot of this. https://twitter.com/MattHarmon_BYB/status/1372638571224469507?s=20
I'll wrap up with this. Nobody knows Tua Tagovailoa better than Trent Dilfer, who's worked with him since high school. When Dilfer went on Ryan Russilo's podcast in December, the first name out of his mouth was not Devonta Smith. It was Jaylen Waddle. https://247sports.com/Article/Miami-Dolphins-need-Jaylen-Waddle-2021-NFL-Draft-Alabama-football-Tua-Tagovailoa-Trent-Dilfer--157786161/
