A Closer Look: Desean Jackson

by JasonB on May 1, 2008 9:43 AM EDT

Heading into this offseason, the buzzword on everyone's lips was playmakers. Everyone from the fans, to McNabb, to Westbrook, to Runyan, to Spikes.... all called for more playmakers on the Eagles. In free agency, the Eagles grabbed the NFL's INT leader over the past two years. I think most people would agree that's a playmaker.

But what about offense? What about everyones' favorite position? Wide Receiver? As it turned out, there were no big time WRs available in free agency(other than Moss, but we know that story) and none of the big name WRs rumored to be trade bait changed teams. So we turn to the draft.... and no WRs are picked in the first round. So all in all, this was not a great year to be in the market for a wideout. That said, armed with 2 second round picks the Eagles headed into the second round in search of an offensive playmaker. They found one.

In his 36 career college games, Desean Jackson scored 29 touchdowns. Some came on punt returns(6), some came from running plays, and most(22) were TD catches. Bottom line is that at every level Desean Jackson has ever played he's been dominant and he's the rare kind of player who is threat to score every time he touches the ball. Jackson racked over a thousand yards receiving at 18 yards a catch and 9 TDs in 2006. In 2007 he actually averaged 12 yards per carry rushing... As a sophomore he won the Randy Moss award as the nation's top return man.

Finally, here's a pretty amazing stat. 23% of the time Jackson touched the football, he gained more than 20 yards.

Now, those stats are very impressive... but can he come close to duplicating them at the NFL level? A quick peek at his scouting reports would suggest he has most of the tools. Great hands, incredibly elusive in the open field, runs a 4.3 40, he can jump....

So why wasn't a guy this productive and this talented a first round pick? Well, he's 5-10 and 170 pounds. Honestly, how many guys that size have been great NFL players? It's not impossible, guys have done it, but the list is fairly short. We all remember how the 5-8, 180 lb Jeremy Bloom couldn't cut it at this level... although to be fair Jackson is a far more accomplished football player than Bloom and has heard these doubts about his size his whole life.

"I have been hearing about (my size) all my life, It has been something to motivate me. Sitting back and waiting for my name to be called, I kind of figured that a lot of people were afraid of my size, but like I tell everybody else, my heart is bigger than my size and I play larger than I really am."

Another thing you'll hear about Desean is "character concerns." Now, Jackson is more TO than he is Pacman Jones. The knock against him has never been that he's a bad guy who gets in trouble, the knock has been that he's cocky. The glass half full is that almost all great WRs are cocky. That kind of self belief and ego seems almost required to be among the greats at wideout in this league. Glass half empty is obviously the TOs and Chad Johnsons of the world. Jackson hasn't really shown himself to be some kind of a team killer at any point, but it's at least something worth keeping an eye on. To hear from the man himself, check out the video "getting to know Desean Jackson."

Make no mistake about it, Desean Jackson is a playmaker. He is another weapon for McNabb. Like any rookie, he has to prove he can do it at this level, but it's probably fair to say that Andy Reid has never drafted a WR with as much raw talent as Jackson. He should be able to make an immediate impact on special teams, and he should be able to make things happen in a certain role on offense. It should be very interesting to see how Reid tries to work Jackson into the offense in year one. No one is expecting him to be Steve Smith(another guy everyone thought was too small to play at this level) in year one, but a guy that has been as productive as he's been at the college level should be able to contribute something in the NFL right away.

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I am very excited to see how Jackson will be worked into the offense… I honestly think that if he hits the weights and puts on quality pounds, not taco bell pounds, then he will be fine. He needs to get stronger… what he lacks in size he needs to make up in strength and speed. I am, however, awaiting a public opinion from #5 about how he feels the Eagles’ resolved his playmaker request. It’ll be quite easy to tell how he truly feels, no matter what he actually says… If it’s a cookie cutter, “I’m happy the Eagles got some playmakers, including a WR”, then he’s not happy… but we’ll see.

Also, to all of the people that are still bitching and moaning that we didn’t draft a WR in the first round or that we didn’t trade for one, I’d honestly like to know what their solution is, and it has to be reasonable and make sense… good luck. Obviously, since NO WRs went in the first round, it wasn’t just the Eagles who didn’t think any were worth picking there. Obviously all of these great trades were nothing but rumors (thanks GCobb, way to monger shit without any facts). So what could have been done better???? I’ll wait…

If you wanted a WR with the most raw talent and explosive capability in the draft… Guess what, you got him… Be happy and let’s see what he can do.

Side-note: I’m extremely tired of the people who say, “Andy Reid can’t draft, blah blah blah”. Go take a look at what team sent the most players to the Pro Bowl since 2000, see who has the most position players starting that they drafted, see who’s gotten quality out of the draft and addressed needs the best… again I’ll wait. Yup, the Eagles and Andy are either at the top or in the top few teams. Every team drafts players that don’t pan out, get traded, get cut, get injured, or get released at some point. You don’t go into the draft saying, “Okay, lets get our 10 Pro Bowlers for the year”. Jesus. Let’s be realistic here… Once Andy is done, if we take a look back at all of his draft picks I’d be happy if 10-15% are Pro Bowl caliber players, 30-40% ended up being quality starters at some point, 10-15% ended up being nothing more than solid back ups, and the rest got cut/released/never signed.

by foos05 on May 1, 2008 10:04 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

rather than retyping what i wrote, see my comment on jkreck’s fan post regarding jackson.

i have no problems with cocky WRs. i just have a problem with cocky WRs that don’t produce and ones that become a locker room caner.

by ringordietryin on May 1, 2008 10:09 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Jackson

I think Donovan’s going to like this pick. As an aside, has he made any statements thus far? I know he’s speaking on Saturday but I can’t imagine no one’s tried to get an opinion out of him yet. Anyways, I think Donovan understands that this team tried to get him what he asked for – they just weren’t able to do it (read: Moss, Johnson, Williams or Fitzgerald, etc.) So they got him one of the best WRs in the draft. He has to be happy about that. He’s smart enough to understand that it takes two to tango and this was a bad year to need a WR. Anyways, I’m excited to hear what he thinks about the draft…I think he’ll probably also be happy with adding Kris Wilson and Lorenzo Booker.

by ajay on May 1, 2008 2:40 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

westbrook at WR

Although I get crushed every time I make this comment here, I’ll try it again. Given their limitations, I thought the Eagles best shot of increasing their playmaking ability at the wide receiver position was to increase the number of snaps that Westbrook takes as a wide out. Also arguing in favor of this concept was that the Eagles were drafting in the late first round, a draft position for which there is an extraordinary hit rate for running backs. Although I think Jackson has a good shot at helping out on returns, I wonder how much he will help in the passing offense. And think about it: would defensive coordinators be more worried by a set of Brown, Curtis, and Desean Jackson at wide receiver and Westbrook in the backfield or by a set of Brown, Curtis, and Westbrook at wide receiver and Felix Jones in the backfield? (And which would make you younger at the skilled positions and give you more insurance in the case of injury? What are we going to do if/when Westbrook gets hurt?). I think the Eagles blew it here.

by dave in san mateo on May 1, 2008 5:22 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

they kind of did both really. your scenario can still hold true… they can have Brown, Curtis and Jackson at WR with B-West in the backfield or Brown, Curtis and B-West at wideout and Booker in the backfield. Don’t look past booker. If things had worked out a little differently last year, we would have drafted him. He can be very similar to Westbrook and if he progresses well, may end up being B-West 2.0 in a few years. I went to FSU and follow the ‘Noles. Booker is a very very good back.

by foos05 on May 2, 2008 8:03 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

The guy that wrote this article is clueless

!st off Bloom was measured at 5’9 1/4 within a quarter inch of bloom
Blooms easily as fast and as quick as this season will show

DeSean is tops 5’9 and a half..
Bloom returned kicks in preseason without blocking a screwed up toe 20 yrd ave and about 10 on punt returns with no blocking as the preseason they are throwing all sorts of people in. The eagles would of made it to playoffs had they kept Bloom..None of the guys after did anything in punt returns or kick returns and bloom did well in receiving plus had incredible work ethic ..Bloom is a better athlete than this guy as this season shall prove..I’m headed off to the meditterian in the mean time the guy that wrote this like 7 out of ten writers needs to wake up and quit trying to sell negativity …I have compassion and understand your trying to make a living but you can do it in an honest way! Andy Reid is also clueless other than the fact that he makes good money his team will not win a championship and thats all that really matters nor will his guy that went to minnesota ..Playoffs absolutely and big deal but superbowl not happening..I’d love it if the birds do win a superbowl

by Johninne on May 1, 2008 5:32 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Awesome, seriously

here are some tidbits from Spadaro (all can be found in the archives of “On the Inside“)...
First the Man Crush

Who stood out? Jeremy Bloom and Bill Sampy were the best of the receivers, and both are going to figure in the next phase of camp. Bloom is the team’s return man – certainly, he is the guy on punts and one of several (including Correll Buckhalter and Ryan Moats, among others I would guess) who will get a chance on kickoffs – and he impressed everyone this weekend with his play at receiver.

Then the toe injury

eremy Bloom showed some spunk in the return game with a 14.5-yard average on two punt returns. He also averaged 21.6 yards on five kickoff returns. He suffered a toe injury, had X-rays and returned, so keep your fingers crossed that he stays healthy. He has some quickness.

The Lead in to Week 2

After a promising debut, Jeremy Bloom comes back for a second opportunity. The Eagles would love to see him get some return chances in this game and they need to see the spark in his legs. Bloom has the giddy-up. Now it’s time to go.
The Eagles didn’t have much explosiveness in the return game last year and they are encouraged by the early work from Bloom. He shrugged off a toe injury on Monday and now has fresh, bouncy legs. It should be interesting to see how he responds.

Week 2 Dismay?

The Eagles need to be much better in the return game. I know Jeremy Bloom is the one who is critiqued, but he is not getting a lot of help. The blocking has to be better. Opposing gunners are gaining a release too easily and the wedge is not opening much room on kickoffs.

Lead in to week 3

There have been no fireworks to date for Bloom, so unless you are basing your evaluation strictly on promise, Bloom has been decidedly average in this preseason. He hasn’t received a great deal of help from his blockers, but Bloom has to step up in this game. If he doesn’t? Hey, time is running out. The Eagles have to see something from Bloom before the start of the season, don’t they?

Guess what?

Don’t look now, but Jeremy Bloom was replaced in punt returns by Greg Lewis in the first half and by Buckhalter in the kickoff return game in the first half. He was back there in the second half, though. Bloom never got into the open field, so I have to wonder what the Eagles have planned for the return game.

I’ll spare you week 4’s lead in and ultimate dissapointment, I’m thinking you get my drift. Jeremy Bloom was jobbed by the NCAA, and only got 2 years on the field. I work at the University of Colorado, Boulder where – you likely are aware – Bloom attended school and when he was on the field as a freshman and sophmore, he was electric in the return game, but not much of a receiver. Unfortunately, his skiing career killed his chances for developing into a productive NFL player, but you know the underwear modeling gig pays handsomely.

Bloom didn’t make the team because he wasn’t good enough.

by cavortingEagle on May 1, 2008 6:03 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I’m not sure I really understand all this… but I’ll make a prediction.

Bloom never plays a down in a real NFL game.

Bleeding Green Nation - Philadelphia Eagles Blog

by JasonB on May 2, 2008 9:19 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Now that we have Lorenzo Booker, maybe Andy Reid plans on using Brian Westbrook lined up at WR more. Then, we still have the receiving threat out of the backfield.

Destroyer of Subject Lines :3™

by yomjoseki on May 1, 2008 5:34 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

I've been wondering

last year when the Eagles traded down in the draft and then took Kevin Kolb there were all sorts of rumors that McNabb was gone and his time in Philly was numbered. Well this year the Eagles traded down again and although they didn’t draft him their first move was to acquire Booker, yet no rumors on Westbrook. I realize that Westbrook is our number one threat on offense and his job here is secure I just think it’s funny.

I personally love McNabb and want him to retire an Eagle it just goes to show how being the QB of this team is the most difficult job in the world.

by Whodie126 on May 1, 2008 6:07 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Truth

I think Jackson will fit great onto the Eagles roster. Not only does he bring speed to a primarily west coast offense where Y.A.C. is very important but he also has the ability to spread the field hopefully more, if not as much as Kevin Curtis. If he turn out to be a bust at wideout because of his side he will ultimately be able to fill the KR/PR returning role that has been much needed. I will still be surprised if Andy doesn’t put him in that position right off the bat despite how much we all know he loves our favorite restaurant busser Reno Mahe:)

by Brockly on May 1, 2008 9:48 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs