Jaylen Waddle was a star freshman for Alabama football last season. How exactly will his game evolve in 2019 for the Crimson Tide?
Alabama football had the greatest wide receiving corps in the country last year. Thankfully, their four best receivers were all underclassmen, so they will come back just as strong in 2019.
Everyone knows about Jerry Jeudy’s skills, the speed of Henry Ruggs, and how Devonta Smith caught the game-winning touchdown on second-and-26 against Georgia as a freshman, but there is an X-factor on the team. His name is Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle approached 850 receiving yards as a freshman on only 45 catches. With those 45 catches, he recorded seven touchdowns. He was also a monster in special teams as a punt returner, averaging over 18 yards a return.
It didn’t take much time for Waddle to get comfortable in the offense, but he is even more confident now. He is simply too talented to keep the ball out of his hands. Expect the offense to manufacture more touches his way as he becomes more of a threat in the receiving game.
The best part about Waddle is what he does after the ball is in his hands. Waddle has the speed and agility to make players miss in the open field. Combine that with his ability to get open at the second and third level of the defense, and he is almost unstoppable.
In punt returns, I expect him to have more than one touchdown this season. In big games, he will have the green light to take any punt and try to make something happen. There were some times last season where he erred on the side of caution with the fair catch. This is understandable since Alabama had one of the best offenses in the country, but I think he will take more risks as a sophomore.
It’s hard to share the ball with all the talent in the receiving corps, but Waddle will be near the top of the food chain. Everybody eats at Alabama, but Waddle will go back for seconds.
Another way that Waddle will pad his stats is with the second team. As the youngest star in the lineup, he will be expected to stay on the field in blowouts when Alabama trots out Mac Jones or Taulia Tagovailoa. In those situations, a receiver who can catch anything becomes your best friend.
Alabama is too talented at receiver for Waddle to be the top threat. However, Waddle is too talented to not see his role increase in 2019.