Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle has officially made the wide receiver class in the 2021 NFL Draft even stronger -- and might represent the perfect fit for the New England Patriots.
Waddle is considered a top-tier talent at wide receiver and has been a popular projection for the Patriots at No. 15 overall in mock drafts.
After missing most of the 2020 college football season due to injury, Waddle officially declared for the draft Thursday. The receiver is considered one of the most dynamic deep threats in college football. However, he wound up missing much of the 2020 season due to a major ankle injury.
Waddle wound up coming back to take some limited snaps in the National Championship Game, which is a good sign for his injury outlook. However, his missed time may have dealt some damage to his draft stock -- especially with his teammate, DeVonta Smith, going on to win the Heisman Trophy as a wide receiver.
Waddle is a tremendous talent as a receiver and punt returner. However, he’s a bit undersized for the NFL at 5-foot-10, 183 pounds.
However, it’s not unheard of for smaller receivers to excel at the next level. Waddle’s combination of size, speed and productivity has drawn comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs star Tyreek Hill.
If Waddle had played the entire season, he may have worked his way into the top 10 of the draft. However, his outlook is a little foggier now due to injury -- and the pandemic.
It remains to be seen how pre-draft workouts will function in 2021. As of Thursday, there’s no confirmation that the Scouting Combine will actually happen this year. Meanwhile, the idea of bringing scouts out for pro days at individual schools remains a challenge due to COVID-19.
In a normal year, Waddle would have a chance to wow scouts with his raw speed during in-person workouts, allowing him to rebuild his stock.
However, this isn’t a normal year -- and that may end up benefitting the Patriots. The longer Waddle’s draft stock remains murky, the more likely he is to slip. So far in mock drafts, Waddle has been a common projection to the Patriots.
With so many QB-needy teams at the top, this year’s draft could feature some sublime prospects falling to the middle of the round.
As for the Patriots, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out why Waddle would succeed in New England. Size has never been a limitation for receivers in Foxborough (just look at Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, Troy Brown, Damiere Byrd and Julian Edelman).
If he were to join the Patriots offense, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels would be an ideal fit scheme-wise, allowing the undersized deep threats to utilize his strengths and put him in a position to succeed.
Now, we just need to see if he winds up falling on draft day. But that’s a ways away.
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January 15, 2021 at 04:42AM
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Jaylen Waddle declares for 2021 NFL Draft: Alabama WR an ideal fit for Patriots in Round 1 - MassLive.com
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