One of college football’s most electrifying offensive weapons this past season, Jerrel Jernigan has been a stud since his sophomore season at Troy. Jernigan has been not only an asset to their success in the Sun Belt, he was the first, second, and third option in the playbook on almost every play.
The Sun Belt isn’t the most prestigious of the conferences and his numbers may not mean everything, but based on his speed, quickness, ball skills, and running instincts, he should be at worst a solid pro. But Jernigan’s versatility should (in my mind at least) put him heavily in the first round discussion.
-While I’m not a bring proponent of using stats to judge a players talent, his numbers (below) are jaw-dropping:
2010 Stats
84 Rec., 822 yards, 6 TDs
45 Rush., 322 yards, 3 TDs
6-7 Passing, 1 TD
37 PR, 306 yards, 1 TD
25 KR, 630 yards, 1 TD
To recap, he had over 2,000 total yards as a Senior, and scored in five different ways with 12 touchdowns total, despite being a target for the defense on every play. Also, he’s never fumbled in his college career, with 516 total touches.
-Jernigan played the past two years at Troy at either the outside receiver or the slot receiver. He was able to get vertical and get some meaningful separation on the outside, and his routes were defined enough to make effective cuts. As you’d expect with his speed and quickness, he was at his best in the slot when he could run past the team, get the ball on quick passes, or be used in short area plays. His outside receiver skills could use work, but he has experience to be able to play there and add to the positions he can fill.
-The new rule that pushes up the kickoff location is a good change for the NFL and shows that they’re willing to lose some of the excitement of the game, such as game-breaking returns, for the safety of the player. It won’t make a drastic difference in my opinion, but the idea is there. However, it will limit how much success returners can have in the NFL. Still, Jernigan has over 1,500 kick return yards of experience to be able to have some success, and the punt return numbers he put him won’t be affected at all.
-The Wildcat is a dying idea in the NFL and likely won’t be used nearly as much in 2011 as it was in 2009. Still, being able to utilize a receiver for a quick pass play on a reverse or putting your best athlete in the backfield is a concept that won’t be totally forgotten. Jernigan has proven to be deadly on reverse plays, and the fact that he can and has lined up in the backfield and either ran or threw keeps that option in the playbook.
Jernigan’s injury to his ankle kept him out of the Senior Bowl and reports are that some teams were concerned about his overall injury health.
In conclusion, Jernigan will remain a first round talent on our board and too dynamic, explosive, and versatile of an athlete to pass up early in round two, even though he may fall to that area.
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