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Seattle Seahawks draft target: Jaelen Strong

By Keith Myers

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Sometimes fate steps in provides NFL teams a helping hand. That may have happened this year with the Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Jaelen Strong out of Arizona State. Strong is a first-round talent, but could drop to the Seahawks in the second round because of a hand injury.

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Strong definitely has first round skills. He might not have the polish of a guy like Amari Cooper, but he has tremendous upside. Bleach Report’s Matt Miller thinks he has the best hands of any receiver in the draft. For a guy with Strong’s size and athleticism, that a sign that he’s going to be very good player at the next level.

The problem is that he has a broken bone in his wrist from last November that hasn’t healed. There is a lot of concern that he will eventually need to have surgery. That could scare off teams, and allow him to drop down to Seattle at pick No. 63. While he says that he still doesn’t need surgery, the injury is still troublesome for whichever team drafts him.

Either way, the Seattle Seahawks definitely needs to find an upgrade at wide receiver in the draft this season. It might not be their biggest need, but if the get out of the fourth round without impact receiver then they will have made a mistake.

Where He Wins

Strong is aptly named, as he plays with a great deal of strength and physicality. His ability to fight through the press will greatly help his ability to produce at the NFL level. He is also 6’2″ tall with long arms and a tremendous vertical.

While he doesn’t have great top-end speed (his 4.42 40 time doesn’t show up on his tape), Strong had solid change-of-direction skills for a receiver of his size. His ability to maintain his speed through his breaks will allow him to get separation when he cannot simply out-muscle the defenders.

Strong also has great hands, though there are some concentration drops in his tape. He consistently reaches out to secure the football rather than waiting for it to drop to his chest.

He shows good body control, and is able to turn and get his shoulders around to secure back-shoulder throws. He needs to get his head around and locate the ball quicker, but that is a technique issue that can fixed.

One play that demonstrates much of what makes Strong worthy of a second around pick can be seen in this one play. He fights through the press by a very good cornerback in Marcus Peters. He sells the post before breaking off into an angle route. He secures the inaccurate pass, and then breaks upfield for a big gain.

Where He Fits

Strong is prototypical split end. His ability to fight through press coverage and against even the most physical of cornerbacks. His new team won’t have to put him in motion or in bunched sets in order to try and get him a free release.

Strong’s route tree may not be as complex as some of the other wide receivers in this draft early in his career. For that reason, he doesn’t belong in the slot, but that is probably ok. He is a big receiver who will succeed on the outside.

Strong also isn’t much of a yards-after-catch guy either. He has the strength to fight for extra yards when needed, but he isn’t going to make too many guys miss. You aren’t likely to see him catching many bubble screens in the NFL.

Instead, Strong is a receiver that will live in the intermediate range. His great hands and catch radius will allow him to consistently win at the catch point against most NFL cornerbacks.

NFL Comparison: Dwayne Bowe (a younger version, not the current player)

Game Tape (not highlights)

Below is the actual game film from Strong’s game vs. Arizona. In it you can see everything that is discussed above, including a great catch for a touchdown on a poorly thrown pass.

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