With fall camp starting on August 17, the staff for Touchdown Alabama Magazine will release a series a series of player spotlight pieces on starters and marquee contributors for the 2020 football season.
RELATED: 2020 Alabama Player Spotlight: WR DeVonta Smith
In these articles, we will dive into the strengths and weaknesses of each player, provide expectations for 2020, give NFL Draft projections for those who are eligible, and conclude with how each one can impact the team.
After DeVonta Smith, the fourth offensive player is Jaylen Waddle.
Jaylen Waddle
-Position: Wide Receiver
-Classification: Junior
-Height: 5’10”
-Weight: 182 pounds
-2019 stats: 1,227 all-purpose yards (560 receiving, 487 punt return, 175 kick return, five rushing), eight touchdowns
Strengths
-Speed
-Athleticism
-Versatility (return specialist)
-Explosive plays
-Instincts
Summary: The elite speed or acceleration of Jaylen Waddle jumped off the page from the moment he arrived at the University of Alabama in 2018 as a true freshman from Houston, Texas.
He earned the nickname “human joystick” for obvious reasons, as he made it difficult for defenders to catch him or get him on the ground.
Opposition in the Southeastern Conference and college football would soon find out how good he truly was. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds, Waddle exploded with 848 yards receiving and seven touchdowns on 45 catches from Tua Tagovailoa. Not only was he the SEC’s Freshman of the Year, but he recorded a 100-yard performance (113) versus Georgia on four catches in Alabama’s 32-28 win for an SEC title.
Despite him not getting many opportunities at receiver in 2019, the former four-star still brought in 33 passes for 560 yards with six scores. As explosive as he is at receiver, it is Waddle’s versatility that makes him a nightmare for defenses.
He was second in the SEC and fifth nationally for punt return average (14.6 yards) in 2018, while averaging 24.4 yards per return last season.
Waddle has two punt return touchdowns for his career and versus Auburn, he recorded his first-ever kick return score — which was a 98-yard burst to pay dirt in the Iron Bowl. He had 175 kick return yards on five attempts in 2019.
RELATED: 2020 Alabama Player Spotlight: RB Najee Harris
Waddle is a threat to score whenever he has the ball and has a feel for making plays in space.
Weaknesses
-Hands (must get tighter)
-Route running (needs to distribute weight in and out of breaks)
Summary: Two areas of improvement for Waddle are his hands and route running skills.
His routes are decent; however, he needs to become more polished. By this, he has to be able to properly distribute his weight in and out of breaks. Also, putting together different route concepts to keep defensive backs off balance is critical too.
He has never been an ‘every down’ player before, until this season. Hopefully, he’ll be able to step up in this area. When it comes to his hands, Waddle has a tendency to allow passes into his body.
NFL scouts want to see him snatch passes with his hands from different angles and get up field.
Should he be able to contort his hands and control throws from various arm angles, Waddle will be viewed even more as a high first-round draft value.
Expectations for 2020 season
Steve Sarkisian, Alabama’s offensive coordinator, spoke earlier in fall practice on how he wants to get Jaylen Waddle the football more naturally.
He is developing more of a chemistry with Mac Jones and having him as an every down player is going to be huge for the Crimson Tide’s offense.
Seeing how he has yet to obtain a 1,000-yard receiving campaign, that number is high on Waddle’s list. He also envisions himself being an All-American and a first-team All-SEC selection at wide receiver.
Along with the individual accolades, Waddle wants to help this team win a national championship.
NFL Draft 2021 projections
Jaylen Waddle: First Round (Top 15 overall)
NFL Draft 2021 competition for Waddle: DeVonta Smith (Alabama), Terrace Marshall Jr. (LSU), Tylan Wallace (Oklahoma State), Charleston Rambo (Oklahoma), Amari Rodgers (Clemson), Damonte Coxie (Memphis), Sage Surratt (Wake Forest)
Ja’Marr Chase of LSU is in the conversation too, despite him opting out of the 2020 season.
Conclusion
After being primarily used as a specialty player in each of his first two seasons, Waddle is excited to be on the field more.
Defenses have to account for him on every down, and it will be fun to watch the chess match.
Much like DeVonta Smith, Waddle sees a chance to put up big numbers and possibly get drafted ahead of Ja’Marr Chase.
RELATED: 2020 Player Spotlight: QB Mac Jones
Should he continue to fine-tune his routes and get his hands tighter, this upcoming season will be a major one for Waddle.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
