Jaelen Strong (WR)

Here’s a GREAT breakdown of Jaelen Strong by Matt Waldman and guest scout. They go through his USC game and discuss what offense he would fit well in (spoiler: Seattle). I highly suggest it.
[youtube]UxRvC2MhLKs[/youtube]
http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2015/01/31/rs ... en-strong/


The more I watch Jaelen Strong, the more I think he is exactly the receiver that the Seahawks are missing - The big, physical “X” receiver position that can be a mismatch all over the field. Most boards have him in the late-1st to early 2nd which puts him right into Seahawks territory.

At 6’3 215 pounds, he adds a basketball and track background (triple jump and long jump) to a polished NFL-ready game. He’s a huge leaper, really athletic for his size and some great hands, though the occasional bobble. He has the physical abilities that if he and Russell developed a strong chemistry you could see the first 1,000 yard, 10+ TD receiver under Carroll. If he tests and measure's well at the combine, he's a lock to go around his current draft stock.

Watch a few of his games and you see he’s making catches deep jumping over the top of guys, in tight coverage using his size to shield the defender, laying out for the ball for a catch, and even flashes one-handers. He’s not a burner, but he’s got the long stride speed to outrun the defense.

Here’s the latest video posting on Draftbeakdown.com
http://draftbreakdown.com/video/jaelen- ... na-2014-2/ (vs Arizona)
http://draftbreakdown.com/video/jaelen- ... -usc-2014/ (Vs USC)

Heard in the video above, 11 games into his final season, the announcer gives this stat line: “74% of [Strong’s] catches has gone for first downs or touchdowns.” That's big time.

That’s a stat that will peak Pete Carroll’s interest. When it comes to a winning football games, you need receivers who score and convert 3rd downs. Strong’s also a big play guy, with big time production. His sophomore year he posted 75 catches for 1122 yards and 7 TDs. His Junior year he was made a focal point of the offense and still dominated the pac-12, scoring top 4 in his conference in receptions, yards, and TDs with 83, 1165, 10.

I still feel a threat at receiver or tight end is a huge need, so that certainly goes into my thinking that Strong would be worthy of the #31 pick. When you look at the WR corp, a player like Strong would be a big improvement a grouping ending the season consisting of Baldwin, Kearse, Lockette, Matthews, and Walters. There's some inconsistencies with his game that he'll have to work through, but I think he's still a quick upgrade at a weak position.

Would you like or hate the pick? Is there a receiver that should be rated higher with the #31 pick besides the top 3 (Cooper, White, Parker)

I gotta admit, I both love Strong and am extremely nervous about him.

Why I love him:

Basketball background.
True high pointer.
Strong hands.
Great Body Control.
Very competitive.

Why he makes me nervous:

Speed. I think he runs a 4.55-4.65.
Inability to separate. He doesn't create the most space and we have seen RW hesitate to pull the trigger in tight coverage.
College offense. ASU runs a pretty gimmicky offense. I'd be worried about his transition with the route tree.

Gotta admit, I'm extremely torn on him. The + skills he does have, I absolutely love and think it's hugely needed. BUT, and it's a big but, I am really worried about his inability to create consistent separation.

Quite honestly, I think I'm more comfortable with the following and yes, it's a bit of a stretch but hear me out:

Trade down into early R2 and pick up an extra 4th rounder. Use that 4th rounder + our existing 4th rounder to get back into R2. Now we have 3 R2 picks.

R2: TE Maxx Williams: Our safety blanket over the middle. Very young. Think he's a core-potential guy long term.
R2: WR Phillip Dorsett: Speed demon who can run routes and create absurd separation.
R2: DE/DT Marcus Hardison: Unique pass rusher with some serious athletic ability. I like his versatility/upside.
R3: CB Alex Carter: Bigger Stanford CB. He probably doesn't test all that well but is a bigger, smart CB.
R4 (Comp): OT/OG: Swing Tackle/Guard with physical upside. Don't care if they are rough. Go for an athlete.
R5: RB Josh Robinson: Bruiser. Poor man's Michael Turner. Very Seahawky character.
R5 (Comp): Big Body WR - Lippett, Dezmin Lewis, Darren Waller, etc.

Just watched the two videos posted from this year. Separation is sporadic, but he is able to outrun DB's pretty often. I don't see a lot of route technique, but he runs a variety of routes effectively. He's got good but not great hands.

Separation is average
Routes are average
Hands are average

But where he excels is kinda what we need. He's an excellent blocker on the edge. Physical and tenacious. He doesn't give up on his man. He is excellent at high pointing the ball and blocking out his defender. He plays the position like a power forward. But the biggest thing I see is effort. This guy doesn't stop, he doesn't quit, he doesn't have a lower gear. He sells out.

His QB sucked more often than not, or his numbers would be better. Lots of overthrows on short routes and underthrows on long routes, but Strong does a good job adjusting to the ball.

I've heard a lot of people down on him, but there is a lot to like. It will be interesting to see how he tests. I suspect his drills will be below average, but his length and leaping will be off the charts. Looks like a guy with a huge catch radius.

Mtjhoyas":2031ksqe said:

I gotta admit, I both love Strong and am extremely nervous about him.

Why I love him:

Basketball background.
True high pointer.
Strong hands.
Great Body Control.
Very competitive.

Why he makes me nervous:

Speed. I think he runs a 4.55-4.65.
Inability to separate. He doesn't create the most space and we have seen RW hesitate to pull the trigger in tight coverage.
College offense. ASU runs a pretty gimmicky offense. I'd be worried about his transition with the route tree.

Gotta admit, I'm extremely torn on him. The + skills he does have, I absolutely love and think it's hugely needed. BUT, and it's a big but, I am really worried about his inability to create consistent separation.

Quite honestly, I think I'm more comfortable with the following and yes, it's a bit of a stretch but hear me out:

Trade down into early R2 and pick up an extra 4th rounder. Use that 4th rounder + our existing 4th rounder to get back into R2. Now we have 3 R2 picks.

R2: TE Maxx Williams: Our safety blanket over the middle. Very young. Think he's a core-potential guy long term.
R2: WR Phillip Dorsett: Speed demon who can run routes and create absurd separation.
R2: DE/DT Marcus Hardison: Unique pass rusher with some serious athletic ability. I like his versatility/upside.
R3: CB Alex Carter: Bigger Stanford CB. He probably doesn't test all that well but is a bigger, smart CB.
R4 (Comp): OT/OG: Swing Tackle/Guard with physical upside. Don't care if they are rough. Go for an athlete.
R5: RB Josh Robinson: Bruiser. Poor man's Michael Turner. Very Seahawky character.
R5 (Comp): Big Body WR - Lippett, Dezmin Lewis, Darren Waller, etc.

Click to expand...

Great points. I'd have to agree with your positive/negative list.

His speed drills at the combine will be important for him, but I think you have to draft him for what he does well, not so much what he can't do. How an offense plans to use him will dictate his draft value.

I'm not sure if you watched the RSP breakdown from Matt Waldman, but they bring up a good point that a team that uses a lot of play action will be best for him. Give him the couple yards clean off the line and he's going to win that 1-on-1 match up more often than not because of his athleticism, size, and times his jumps well he is at his best when he's on the move. That would give Russ the confidence to continuing making throws like he did in the Super Bowl, where he can put the ball in the vicinity of his receiver and let them use their height advantage over the DB.

In time, his route running and hand use improve and that will help with separation. The RSP video also showcased a couple routes that are impressive for a guy who's only played two years of D1 ball, so he's got a foundation to work with.

As to your Mock draft, Getting Maxx Williams with the first pick and a receiver 2nd would be great, but I'm not sold on Dorsett adding something we don't already have in Baldwin and a healthy Richardson. We need some size and strength. That said, he's a really intriguing player I should watch more of.

I love the idea of using two early picks to add weapons for Russell. Personally, I'm becoming enamored with Clive Walford, the tight end out of Miami. Seattle's scouts have been spotted at a couple Miami games. Maybe it was for Dorsett, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had a close eye on Walford who can play the move tight end or typical "Y" position.

If Seattle can manage to land Strong in the 1st and Walford in the 2nd/3rd, they could use the rest of its picks on defense and offensive line and walk away feeling pretty smug about it.

McGruff, nice thoughts. I've got him as good to great hands, but the rest I pretty much agree with.

He's got some more 2013 tape out there and a full game on youtube against Duke if you are looking for more to watch. Hopefully the guys at Draftbreakdown add a couple other games.

A couple highlight videos

[youtube]PsNC4B-OaFY[/youtube]

[youtube]9wI3uva1RW4[/youtube]

The more I wacth Strong, the more I like, particularly for our offense. He's not a good short area WR. He doesn't get sudden separation off the line or off breaks, and doesn't body up underneath like he should. Some of that is coachable.

But he's so good in the medium to deep range. So good. And that's our bread and butter. He reminds me quite a bit of Sydney in that way.

I love the RSP Film Room. Haven't watched all of this episode but Matt Waldman is one of the best sources for draft breakdowns.

Strong is exactly what the Hawks don't need. The Hawks need better short area receivers. Bigger targets who consistently get separation and can catch with their hands. I'd rather the Hawks develop Norwood and Matthews than waste a pick on Strong.

Seafan":16bgvglr said:

Strong is exactly what the Hawks don't need. The Hawks need better short area receivers. Bigger targets who consistently get separation and can catch with their hands. I'd rather the Hawks develop Norwood and Matthews than waste a pick on Strong.

Click to expand...

The problem with this line of thinking is that it over values what we think we need and under values what the Seahawks have demonstrated they want. They don't value short area receivers. They value intermediate and long targets.

My issue with Jaelen Strong is he relies so much on the circus catch (which he's excellent at) and hardly ever gets open with a sudden break. I think that's the one thing Seattle loves -- suddenness. He's nearly always shadowed by a corner unless there's a breakdown in scheme. He gets wide open on a couple of deep shots where the corner passes him off to the safety who whiffs. You don't see him working over a DB with a neat double move on a short yardage down. He doesn't even box off defenders all that often -- he's more a leap and high point catcher.

Another concern -- he admitted in 2013 he couldn't bench one rep of 225lbs and in the Fall 2014 he'd got up to 8 reps. If he's benching 8-10 reps at the combine it doesn't say much for his ability to get off the jam. Do we really need another receiver (COUGH KEARSE) who can't do that? Especially one who is supposed to be a bigger guy?