Chad Jackson, WR, New England Patriots

May 9, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Bryce McRae
Edited by KFFL Staff

Opting to come out one year early, the Birmingham, Ala. native, Florida Chad Jackson, will join a wide receiver class that is much less heralded than the other offensive skill positions in this year's draft. Jackson had his best year last year at Florida, leading the Gators with 900 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. His best game of the year came early against Wyoming when he caught 10 passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson is a bit of a late bloomer, as this was his only year that he was the team's No. 1 receiver. While he did show immense talent before this season he had only topped 100 receiving yards in a game once. Thus, teams may be wary of him because he is not the proven commodity that other wide receivers in the draft may be, but he has more than enough talent to warrant a first-round selection.

Positives

Jackson has the prototypical wide receiver body. He combines height (6-foot-0) with weight (213 pounds), and he has the speed to burn you deep (4.32 40 speed from National Football League Scouting Combine). Jackson also uses his height well in climbing up the ladder to out-jump opposing cornerbacks. His longest touchdown reception last year was 80 yards, so he has proven he can run with the ball after the catch and is a legitimate deep threat.

Jackson also shows up every week, only twice did he have games in which he had less then 50 yards receiving, and only once did he catch less then five passes. Against Florida State, in what was a must-win game for Florida at the end of the season, he caught nine passes for 97 yards and one touchdown. He followed up with seven receptions for 76 yards in the Outback Bowl against Iowa. This shows that he has a knack for getting open and making plays regardless of the quality of his opponent.

He also showed that he can step in the locker room, as he was one of the leaders of this Florida team which rebounded after a couple of tough years under ex-Florida head coach Ron Zook. Some may view his outspoken nature as a positive (at one point during the season he declared that Florida had the best wide receivers corps in college football), but it does demonstrate his confidence in his own ability and the fact that he has matched his comments with his play show something of his ability.

Negatives

As stated above, one of the biggest knocks on Jackson is his lack of experience. His freshmen year he only recorded stats in two games, catching three passes for 38 yards in his first season. In his second season with the Gators he improved immensely but still did not show talent warranting a first-day draft pick, or even a draft pick at all. He caught only 29 passes for 648 yards. His last season is when he exploded onto the scene, but some worry whether or not he can carry his success of last season on the next level or whether he will fall back to his first two season's form

His coach at Florida, Urban Meyer, was quite critical of Jackson all season, saying that he still had a long way to go in his development as a wide receiver, which some may view as a positive, some as a negative. The talent is there, but it is very raw with Jackson, and some team will have to be patient with him.

Summary

Prior to the draft, much was made of there not being a clear cut No. 1 wide receiver in the draft, and teams picking in the first round proved that assumption correct.  Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes, selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers at the 25th spot, was the only wide receiver drafted in the first round, as Jackson saw his stock drop in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Jackson ended up falling into the second round and the New England Patriots picked him up 36th overall, completing a trade with the Green Bay Packers to move up and get him.  Jackson should fit in nicely with the Patriots.  He is good at the underneath routes (which Patriots quarterback Tom Brady loves) and runs precise routes, which is crucial to the Patriots' offense.  At Florida, head coach Urban Meyer ran an offense similar to a pro-style offense, counting on the wide receivers to make reads for themselves.  This should help in Jackson's transition to the professional level.

Look for Jackson to fill in as the slot receiver at some point in the near future.  He should fit nicely in the spot vacated by former Patriot David Givens, now with the Tennessee Titans.  In fact, he weighed in at only one pound more then Givens' listed weight and he is the same height as the former Patriot, which must certainly be a good omen.  If you are a Patriots fan, get used to hearing "Brady to Jackson for the first down," as Jackson figures to be a solid wide receiver for the 2005 Super Bowl champions.

For fantasy leagues, Jackson should have decent value in 2006.  He will be battling wide receiver Troy Brown for the No. 2 wide receiver spot on the team and with Brown flirting with old age, Jackson will have a good chance at starting.  However, wide receivers typically take time to adjust to the NFL, so Jackson won't be the great option right away that he should be in a couple years time.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

Impact Analysis: Dallas Cowboys' backfield (08/02)
Impact Analysis: Nate Burleson, WR, Detroit Lions (07/29)
Fantasy Football Impact Analysis: Cleveland Browns backfield (06/15)
Impact Analysis: Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions (11/13)
Impact Analysis: Pittsburgh Steelers RBs (10/17)
Impact Analysis: Steve Slaton, RB, Houston Texans (09/24)
Impact Analysis: New Orleans Saints RBs (09/23)
Impact Analysis: John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks (08/28)
Impact Analysis: Ted Ginn Jr., Miami Dolphins (08/25)
Impact Analysis: Pittsburgh Steelers backfield (08/07)