NFL Still Misjudges the Wide Receiver Role
The controversy surrounding Lamar Jackson proves the NFL culture is completely ignorant about the offensive role
Lamar Jackson, the Heisman trophy winning quarterback, enters the 2018 NFL Draft with questions about his ability to play the position and a suggestion that makes no sense other than a sly comment on how Black quarterbacks are not allowed to have room to develop or grow. It was suggested by NFL scouts that he play the wide receiver position due to his high level athleticism and playmaking abilities. Forget the fact that he’s essentially played quarterback for the duration of his young career. He’s being asked to take on an entirely new role that he has no real knowledge or expertise in simply because they don’t think he won’t be a good quarterback.
It seems the issue with Jackson’s play stems from the fact that he’s Black. Whoops…I mean it’s because they think he won’t do well as a quarterback because he’s Black. Sorry, I did it again. It’s because they suspect that his poor accuracy, height, and play style wouldn’t fit in the NFL today.
It’s problematic that they don’t think he can be developed into a great quarterback. It’s even worse when they fail to understand the differences of playing an entirely different position; especially when past quarterbacks have not had much success in said position.
First of all, Jackson is is 6’3 and 211 pounds. That’s a pretty standard height for an NFL quarterback. He’s also had a 9.1 percent completion, 3,660 yards, 27 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 8.7 adjusted yards per attempt, 1,601 yards rushing, and 18 rushing touchdowns in a Power 5 conference. That’s a solid resume for a rookie quarterback entering the NFL.
He is also known for doing this:
In regards to his adjustment as the wide receiver, it’s a ridiculous assessment considering that it’s an offensive skills position. You’re doing more than just simply catching the ball and running to the endzone for a touchdown. You literally have to know the routes, schemes, and build a connection with the quarterback.
Not to mention, quarterbacks transitioning to a new position such as wide receiver don’t exactly pan out as well as NFL scouts think just because they’re athletic. Terrelle Pryor had 20 catches last season in nine games. Julian Edelman didn’t become a successful wide receiver until his fifth year playing that position. Josh Cribbs made 141 catches in 10 years. The list goes on and on.
During the 2018 NFL Combine, Jackson answered questions in regards to the controversy and handled it professionally while shocking the league at the same time by going against tradition and doing things his own way.
“That’s crazy. I thought I did a good job at quarterback,” Jackson said to reporters with some what of a mocking tone. “I thought I did. You know? But, hey, they say what they want to say. They’re going to fill the story. I’m here now. I’m happy to be at the Combine. Now I just have to show my ability.”
He didn’t have a great performance at the combine. His throwing performance was poor and his dropback was rough, and he failed to show anticipation on his throws.
However, that comes with the process and the combine doesn’t define an athlete’s future. It just shows what their strengths and weaknesses are and where they need to improve during the time in the NFL.
“ The NFL is full of combine failures, and the football unemployment line is full of combine warriors,” said Mike Freeman, NFL beat writer for the Bleacher Report. “And it’s not like Brees had an unbelievable combine. Still, he’ll walk into the Hall of Fame soon.”
Jackson is not a wide receiver and NFL scouts should never assume that anyone can simply become Odell Beckham Jr. just because they’re an athlete. He’s a quarterback and should be respected like one. End of story.
*additional credit to Team Rankings, Football-Reference.com, Bleacher Report, NY Daily News, SBNation
