Jerry Jeudy is a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos. Jeudy hails from Deerfield Beach, Florida, and was a star receiver at Deerfield Beach High School. A star sells Jeudy short four times because he exited high school as a five-star recruit, the third-highest wide receiver recruit in his class, and the number 21 prospect overall according to 24/7 sports. As five-star prospects tend to do, Jeudy played his college ball at the University of Alabama where he was part of a wide receiver room that included four eventual first-round picks. He played sparingly as a freshman but rattled off 145 receptions, 2,478 yards, and 24 touchdowns in his last two seasons at Tuscaloosa. That was just the precipice of Jeudy’s pristine prospect resume. His 17.2 college yards per reception ranks in the 82nd-percentile of wide receivers. His 25.1-percent college target share is in the 74th-percentile at the position, and his 19.4-year- breakout age ranks in the 81st-percentile.
These sparkling college stats, a 4.45 40-yard dash, and pristine route running gifts are what prompted the Denver Broncos to draft Jerry Jeudy in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft with their 15th overall pick. Jeudy’s rookie season was solid but left plenty of meat on the bone. Plenty of that was not his fault, however. Jeudy finished fifth in air yards in his rookie season but also was second in unrealized air yards. Denver also dealt with not just poor quarterback play but a revolving door at the position. As a result, Jeudy hauled in 52 of his 113 targets for 856 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie season to finish as the WR45.
There was an expectation of a breakout season from Jerry Jeudy in 2021. His ADP was that of the WR29. Those hopes were dashed quickly, however. After a 72 yard and six reception half in Week 1, Jeudy suffered a high ankle sprain that forced him to miss the next six games. That ankle sprain hampered Jeudy and his production. Jeudy only had one game with more than the 72 yards he registered in Week 1. He ended up with a 19.9-percent target share, played just 64.5-percent of Denver's snaps when he was available to play, and only ran 232 routes. His 209 yards after the catch ranked 48th among wide receivers. Despite the high ankle sprain and limited quarterback play, Jeudy did still manage to showcase his top-notch talent. He finished 27th among wide receivers with 2.01 yards per route run. His 2.45 yards of target separation topped all receivers. But, Jeudy finished the 2021 season with 38 receptions, none of which went for a touchdown, and 467 yards in 10 games. His 8.3 yards per target lagged behind at 44th among wide receivers. He ended the season as the WR98 in fantasy football. Jerry Jeudy is a very gifted wide receiver but has run into obstacles the last two years preventing a true breakout. Perhaps 2022 will treat Jeudy better. It should now that the Broncos' quarterback concerns flew out of the window after acquiring Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Jeudy's skillset has never been in question and now will have a superstar throwing him the ball. Jeudy's stock is up and is rising exponentially.
