@vikings WR Justin Jefferson had the most productive rookie year out of any WR in his 2020 draft class. In fact Jefferson had one the most productive rookie seasons all time with 88 receptions on 125 targets for 1400 yards, a 15.9 yard average & 7 TDs. Jefferson averaged 87.5 yards per game & 11.2 yards per target. Of Justin’s 88 receptions 58 of them went for 1st downs. Simply phenomenal.
@broncos WR Jerry Jeudy didn’t come close to Justin Jefferson in terms of production but by no means did Jeudy have a dissapointing rookie year. However, I feel like a lot of analysts & experts are sleeping on Jerry Jeudy in 2021.
On 113 targets Jeudy caught 52 balls for 856 yards, a 16.5 yard average & 3 TDs. Of Jeudy’s 52 receptions 39 of them went for 1st downs. It was a solid rookie campaign for the former @alabamafbl standout.
The biggest difference during their rookie seasons was catch percentage. Jefferson caught 70.4% of the balls thrown his way with just 2 drops compared to Jeudy who caught only 46% of the passes he was targeted on & dropped 10 balls. Additionally, Jefferson almost doubled up Jeudy in YAC, 453 to 284.
One of the factors for the difference in production was the quarterback. Jeudy caught balls from 3 different Broncos QBs (Jeff Driskel, Drew Lock & Brett Rypien) in 2020 while Jefferson worked with one,, Kirk Cousins. Cousins isn’t a world beater but he is much better & more experienced than any of the 3 QBs Denver put on the field last season.
Broncos President John Elway signed Teddy Bridgewater in the offseason to stabilize the QB position in Denver. Last season Bridgwater helped @panthers WR DJ Moore have the most productive season of his career with 66 receptions for 1,193 yards, an 18.1 yard average & 4 TDs. At this point in their careers Teddy “2 Gloves” is a much more accurate quarterback than either Jeff Driskel or Drew Lock. Bridgewater’s accuracy should lead to more YAC and hopefully a more catchable ball for WR Jerry Jeudy.
The addition of Bridgewater in Denver will lead to improved QB play & with a successful rookie season under his belt I expect Jerry Jeudy to be one of the best WRs in the @nfl this season.
