How Jerry Jeudy could thrive in the Eagles’ offense

Leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft, I am going to be going through the wide receiver class and looking at the optimal way for the top players to turn out in Philadelphia. This is slightly different than a generic scouting report because I want to specifically focus on what players do well and what their role would look like with the Eagles in order for them to succeed. This series will be woven into our regularly scheduled draft programming, but given the depth of this class and need at wide receiver, this seems like the obvious thing to do.

We first start with Alabama star receiver Jerry Jeudy, who I’ve ranked as the top pass catcher in the class. Jeudy’s pro-transition and fit in Philadelphia is pretty easy to peg because his skill at the position is so clear.

Jeudy broke out in 2018, primarily as a deep threat for the Tide as he averaged over 19 yards per catch and scored 14 touchdowns. His efficiency numbers took a hit in 2019 as he became more of a volume pass catcher and played more underneath since Henry Ruggs III and Devonta Smith emerged as deep threats.

Jeudy’s role change allowed him to show off his extremely diverse skill set. The 6’1”, 192 pound pass catcher is a smooth, explosive athlete with an extremely polished game. His attention to detail as a route runner would quickly help him develop into a quarterback’s best friend. That combined with sure hands and dangerous yards after catch ability make his game immediately translatable. Jeudy also caught a majority of his passes in 2019 in the slot BUT has lots of experience dominating as an outside receiver.

Jeudy ending up in Philly is a bit of a pipe-dream. The likelihood is he is going in the top ten and it isn’t clear if the Eagles are willing to be that aggressive in moving up. In the case he does land in Philadelphia, Jeudy would immediately become the top target among the team’s wide receivers. His pro-readiness, explosiveness after the catch and ability to play anywhere in the formation would make him an instant impact player. Specifically, I could see the team getting him going early as an underneath player and on screens, given that DeSean Jackson is able to come back and work as a deep threat. Jeudy’s smooth transition into the Philly offense would basically make him a rookie of the year candidate.