Justin Jefferson

Wide Receiver

LSU

6' 1"

202 lbs

7.86

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Games Evaluated: 2019 Vs: Florida, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Georgia 2018 Vs: Florida

Report By: Alex Edwards

Scouting Report

ATHLETICISM: 7.44

Q.A.B.: 7.20
Flexibility: 8.50
C.O.D.: 7.30
Explosion: 7.00
Deep Speed: 7.20

Very good athletic ability overall. Excellent flexibility showing the ability to adjust his body to the ball in flight and make contested catches. Good ability to explode off the line of scrimmage but not overly dominant. Shows long speed building up momentum with deeper routes.

WITHOUT BALL: 7.34

Quicks Off LOS: 7.00
Release VS Jam: 6.70
Route Running: 7.90
Separation: 8.10
Blocking: 7.00

Good quickness of the line of scrimmage, not a lot of opportunity in 2019 going against press with playing the slot for the most part. Great route runner but could use improvements with sharpness with cuts off routes, does show savviness in his route running ability though. Has a knack for getting open, finds pockets in zone where space is available. Not going to dominate with getting separation against man but does an excellent job nonetheless. Good blocker who gets the job done long enough for the runner to get by.

WITH BALL IN HANDS: 8.28

Hands: 7.90
Yard After Catch: 8.90
Ability in Space: 8.30
Ball Security: 8.00

Great hands that he uses to catch away from his frame and does not let the ball get into his body. Consistently plucks the ball out of the air. Outstanding when it comes to picking up yards after the catch, probably the best aspect of his game, which fits perfectly working out of the slot. When given space he will make defenders miss and has plus run after the catch ability. Didn't show any alarming trends with ball security.

COMPETITIVENESS: 8.53

Toughness: 7.80
Production: 9.20
Consistency/Motor: 8.60

Excellent competitiveness, showed toughness not going down easily and handles himself well with physicality in contested catches. A really productive college player with 111 receptions, 1540 yards, and 18 touchdowns in 2019 playing 15 games. Not a guy who is going to take plays off even when the ball isn't coming to him, still going to put in the work to make an impact.

INTELLIGENCE: 8.53

Instincts: 8.60
Learn/Retain: 8.00
Position Versatility: 9.00

Outstanding ability to instinctually get open and find spaces in the defense. He also shows outstanding instincts when plays were extended and continuing to get open beyond his original route. He also has outstanding versatility at the wide receiver position. In 2018 he mostly lined up out wide and in 2019 he mostly lined up in the slot. In both those seasons, he showed he can work from those spots on the field. Flashes the versatility to work at all 3 levels of the field and from any position that a WR can line up in an offense.

STRENGTHS

Jefferson shows outstanding versatility at the wide receiver position working at all 3 levels vertically, along with each wide receiver position at the line of scrimmage. He shows a knack for finding spaces in zone defenses and continues to put an effort towards getting open even when the play breaks down after the route is complete. He does well adjusting to the ball in the air and is one of the best wide receivers in the class when it comes to contested catches. He also has a great ability to get yards after catch once he has the ball in his hands. He consistently made catches without letting the ball get in on his body.

WEAKNESSES

Jefferson didn’t have to face press coverage much playing mostly out of the slot in 2019. He still hasn’t filled out his frame fully, looks to still have the muscle mass to put on. He did have lapses at times with drops occurring. His routes aren't the sharpest letting them be rounded off at times. He doesn’t really work to change his timing with his pace on routes, typically keeps the same stride length, without working to throw the defender off.

BIG PICTURE

Jefferson has shown the ability to produce throughout his college career with a breakout age of 19 in his second season. But his production took a huge leap in his 2019 season racking up 132 targets and 111 receptions coming out with a catch percentage of 84%. He was also 3rd in the country in receiving yards with 1,540. This wide receiver draft class looks to be crowded but I feel Jefferson has shown himself to be a top talent in the class. He has the versatility I love to see and just knows how to get open even if his routes aren’t the smoothest run. Along with getting open, he is a weapon once the ball is in his hands. Those three factors are towards the top of traits I like to see with the wide receiver position which proves his value. I see Jefferson as a late 1st or early 2nd rounder and someone who still has room to develop into a number 1 wide receiver on a team, especially if he is able to fully fill out his frame. I see Jefferson fitting best with any team that is needy at wide receiver but especially with teams like Philadelphia, Arizona, Baltimore, or New Orleans. He looks to be able to produce right off the bat his rookie year.