Welcome to the second installment in this series of articles where I breakdown one Jets position group each day, and discuss how they project in 2020 and beyond. Today, I’m discussing the WRs. Click here for yesterday’s article on the QBs.
The Jets re-tooled their WR corps this offseason, bringing in 3 players who look to be regular contributors. But did Joe Douglas do enough to help his young QB make the jump to stardom?
Not mentioned/likely won’t make the final roster: Lawrence Cager, Josh Bellamy, Quincy Enunwa
1.Jamison Crowder, Duke, 27 Y/O*
Although Crowder lacks a high ceiling or starpower, he is the most consistent and productive WR on the Jets roster. At 5’9”, Crowder struggles to beat press coverage, and is limited to just the slot because of that. However, he produces well in his role, posting a 78-833-6 statline last season despite catching passes from Luke Falk for 3 games. Last year was Crowder’s best from a production standpoint, but he set career lows in yds/target(6.8) and completion%(64%). After missing 9 games for the Redskins in 2018, Crowder played in all 16 for the Jets last season, which is a good sign; however, he still comes with some injury concerns. It remains to be seen if Crowder can handle his increased volume and still produce efficiently. Despite looking like he’s in his mid-thirties, he is surprisingly still 27 years old*, so he still has time to grow. For now, Crowder is a decent slot option, who probably shouldn’t be the focal point of your offense.
2020 projected stats: 70 catches/780yards/4 TDs, 67% comp%, 7.5 yrds/target
2020 projected role: Starting slot WR
Long-term projected role: consistent #2/3 option playing exclusively in the slot
2.Breshad Perriman, UCF, 27 Y/O*
After being selected in the 1st round by the Ravens in 2015, Perriman has shown star flashes at times, but also has been maddeningly inconsistent. Perriman ran a sub-4.3 40 at his pro day (one scout had him at a 4.19), leading many Jet fans to call him Robby Anderson’s replacement. Perriman isn’t as complete of a WR as Anderson, and he’s already on his 4rd team only 5 years into his career. It’s not hard to see why: he’s never had over 40 catches or 650 yards in a single campaign. Perriman had the best year of his young career last season, with a 36-645-6 statline. However, the vast majority of his production came in the last 5 weeks of the season (25/506/5 in weeks 13-17, only 11/139/1 in weeks 1-12). He was almost exclusively a deep threat complement to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin last season, and never had a consistent role in the offense until late in the year. His late season surge might’ve saved his NFL career, and he’ll enter 2020 as a starting WR for the Jets.
2020 projected stats: 45 catches/700 yards/6 TDS, 57% comp%, 8.9 yrds/target
2020 projected role: Complementary deep threat with defined role in the offense
Long-term role: Star potential, but will likely be a decent deep threat
3. Denzel Mims, Baylor, 22 Y/O*
Mims was selected in the 2nd round in April’s draft, after many projected him to land in the bottom-half of round 1. The Baylor product is still raw as a receiver, as he doesn’t play to his 4.38 40 time, and struggles to get separation on underneath routes. He also has occasional concentration drops, but he played through a broken hand as a senior so it probably won’t be an issue going forward. His 6.66 3-cone time was the fastest at the combine, so his agility is top-flight; if coached the right way, he can turn into a great route runner and a more complete WR. He immediately offers value as a deep threat, as his ball skills are already above average, and he has excellent hand placement when jockeying for position on jump balls. In 2020, he will be a complementary option to the offense and a mainstay in the red zone; if developed correctly, he has legitimate star potential.
2020 projected stats: 50 catches/650 yards/6 TDs, 64% comp%, 8.2 yard/target
2020 projected role: Deep threat and redzone jump-ball specialist, #3 WR option
Long-term role: potential cornerstone #1 WR
4. Josh Doctson, TCU, 27 Y/O*
Josh Doctson has been a legitimate bust since being drafted by the Redskins 22nd overall, and might not even make the final roster. He has a career 50% comp%, horrendous for a non-pure deep threat (Doctson runs a 4.51). If he can unlock the potential that allowed him to be a 1st round pick, this could be a great signing for Joe Douglas, but Doctson hasn’t shown anything at the NFL-level to warrant a starting spot.
2020 projected stats: 24 catches/340 yards/3 TDs, 58% comp, 6.9 yds/target
2020 projected role: Depth #4 WR
Long-term role: Likely to not re-sign next offseason
*Ages based on how old they will be for Week 1
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