Jerry Jeudy is my favorite non-Chiefs player in the NFL.
I watched a lot of his tape at Alabama, and I thought he was far and away the best WR prospect in the 2020 draft (jury is still out on that one). I want nothing but the best for the guy, and it pained me so much to see him get drafted to a snake-bitten franchise such as the Denver Broncos. After the Raiders surprisingly passed on Jeudy in lieu of fellow #BamaBoy Henry Ruggs III with the 12th pick, Denver had a gift fall right into their laps at 15 in Jeudy.
As a 19-year-old sophomore, Jeudy won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver after a monster 68/1,315/14 season (on a hearty 19.3 YPC). He followed that up with a junior season that saw him hang a cool 77/1,164/10 line before declaring early for the NFL Draft.
While by no means a small NFL receiver, Jeudy is able to use his 6’1″, 195-pound frame to create separation through his routes as well as any receiver in football. What truly sets Jeudy apart, however, is his technicality, as well as a unique change-of-direction ability he brings to his route-running.
In his first game in the NFL (after a condensed training camp), Jeudy was suddenly thrust into the team’s WR1 role after big-bodied veteran Courtland Sutton tore his ACL and ended his season. Enduring a poorly constructed roster in addition to some of the worst QB play in recent memory, Jeudy went on to see 113 targets in his rookie season, which resulted in an underwhelming 52/856/3 campaign.
While Jeudy did struggle with drops (his eight drops were 7th-highest among qualified WRs) he saw some of the lowest quality targets these eyes have ever witnessed, lowlighted by a 62.8% catchable target rate (106th among WRs). Despite the less than ideal start to his professional career, Jeudy entered 2021 as a battle-tested NFL receiver who has experience operating as a team’s top option in the passing game.
Before a high ankle sprain in Week 1 caused him to miss six games, Jeudy was dominating the Jets, catching six passes for 72 yards (on seven targets) in the first quarter. He looked explosive, precise, and every bit of an alpha NFL receiver.
Since coming back from IR, Jeudy has seen roughly a 22% target rate in four games, and he faces his toughest test yet this Sunday night as he and the Broncos comes to to Arrowhead to take on the best team in the AFC. So instead of ending this on a negative note about how the Chiefs are going to embarrass the Broncos organization on prime time, I’d rather dump some of my favorite Jeudy moments of him absolutely thriving.
Chiefs by a hundred.
