- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 445,724
- Reaction score
- 44
Jalen Royals might be the most difficult evaluation in this entire draft class. He’s an excellent athlete with and without the ball, and he has the tools to be a great route runner. However, the Utah State offense is a nightmare, and Royals was deployed in a way that accentuated his flaws. If he can combine his athletic ability with more craft as a route runner, Royals could be a compelling playmaker in the NFL.
Height: 6’0’’, Weight: 205, Arm Length: 30.1’’, Hands: 9.5”’
40-Yard Dash: 4.42, 10-Yard Split: 1.49, Bench: 13 Reps
The offense that Jalen Royals played in last year was one of the most baffling offenses in college football. The receivers are split so absurdly wide, to the point where winning an outside release is borderline impossible. In that offense, Royals was used primarily as an outside receiver, where he faced press coverage often. In the NFL, he’ll most likely be used as a slot/flanker, but if improves his release game, there’s potential to play all three positions.
Royals has a very wide variety of releases that he uses, but he doesn’t execute them very artfully. He wins often in college because he has outstanding acceleration and change of direction, but too often he plays with a predictable rhythm that won’t be as effective against NFL defenders. Royals also makes poor decisions on which direction to release. Even when he’s practically lined up on the sideline and facing an outside leverage defender, he will try to win to the outside, going out of bounds in the process. He’s much better when taking inside releases, and perhaps this is due to extremely wide alignment. His footwork is very sudden on these plays, and he’s able to win quickly on slants and crossing routes.
Royals will also need to expand his arsenal of route setups in the NFL. He’ll dive or widen his stem to manipulate the defenders leverage, and has a good stair-step that he uses on in-breaking routes. However, he needs to learn how to vary his pacing or NFL defenders will have little problems reading his routes.
The biggest problem with Royals game right now is how frequently he misreads the coverage. There are far too many plays where he settles his route thinking it’s zone coverage, when he’s actually facing man, and vice-versa. This is one of the quickest ways to fall out of favor with coaches and quarterbacks. If they can’t trust you to be in the right spot on every play, you won’t see the field.
Where Royals’ game really comes to life is when the ball is in his hands. He can completely change the trajectory of a game at a moment's notice because of how dynamic he is in the open field. His acceleration, speed and elusiveness make him difficult to get a hand on. He’s also a strong, decisive runner and has the contact balance to run through arm tackles. He transitions from receiver to runner very smoothly as well. He can be a legitimate contributor right away as a designed touch player on screens and underneath targets.
Royals also has a good technical basis as a pass catcher. He attacks the ball with optimal hand position on most targets, and high points the football when he can. He’s able to make difficult catches over the middle of the field, even when taking big hits. This lends itself very well to his potential development as a slot receiver. He can improve even more as a pass catcher if he limits how often he clap attacks the football.
If Royals makes the necessary strides as a route runner, he could offer his team something very similar to what Jayden Reed offers the Packers - An excellent designed touch player with legitimate downfield ability. Maybe not the highest volume player, but a high impact one. If he doesn’t make these strides, he’ll be looking at a career similar to Mecole Hardman.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: NFL Draft Scouting Report - Jalen Royals
Continue reading...
Measurables
Height: 6’0’’, Weight: 205, Arm Length: 30.1’’, Hands: 9.5”’
Testing - Combine
40-Yard Dash: 4.42, 10-Yard Split: 1.49, Bench: 13 Reps
Scouting Overview
The offense that Jalen Royals played in last year was one of the most baffling offenses in college football. The receivers are split so absurdly wide, to the point where winning an outside release is borderline impossible. In that offense, Royals was used primarily as an outside receiver, where he faced press coverage often. In the NFL, he’ll most likely be used as a slot/flanker, but if improves his release game, there’s potential to play all three positions.
Royals has a very wide variety of releases that he uses, but he doesn’t execute them very artfully. He wins often in college because he has outstanding acceleration and change of direction, but too often he plays with a predictable rhythm that won’t be as effective against NFL defenders. Royals also makes poor decisions on which direction to release. Even when he’s practically lined up on the sideline and facing an outside leverage defender, he will try to win to the outside, going out of bounds in the process. He’s much better when taking inside releases, and perhaps this is due to extremely wide alignment. His footwork is very sudden on these plays, and he’s able to win quickly on slants and crossing routes.
Royals will also need to expand his arsenal of route setups in the NFL. He’ll dive or widen his stem to manipulate the defenders leverage, and has a good stair-step that he uses on in-breaking routes. However, he needs to learn how to vary his pacing or NFL defenders will have little problems reading his routes.
The biggest problem with Royals game right now is how frequently he misreads the coverage. There are far too many plays where he settles his route thinking it’s zone coverage, when he’s actually facing man, and vice-versa. This is one of the quickest ways to fall out of favor with coaches and quarterbacks. If they can’t trust you to be in the right spot on every play, you won’t see the field.
Where Royals’ game really comes to life is when the ball is in his hands. He can completely change the trajectory of a game at a moment's notice because of how dynamic he is in the open field. His acceleration, speed and elusiveness make him difficult to get a hand on. He’s also a strong, decisive runner and has the contact balance to run through arm tackles. He transitions from receiver to runner very smoothly as well. He can be a legitimate contributor right away as a designed touch player on screens and underneath targets.
Royals also has a good technical basis as a pass catcher. He attacks the ball with optimal hand position on most targets, and high points the football when he can. He’s able to make difficult catches over the middle of the field, even when taking big hits. This lends itself very well to his potential development as a slot receiver. He can improve even more as a pass catcher if he limits how often he clap attacks the football.
Player Comparison
If Royals makes the necessary strides as a route runner, he could offer his team something very similar to what Jayden Reed offers the Packers - An excellent designed touch player with legitimate downfield ability. Maybe not the highest volume player, but a high impact one. If he doesn’t make these strides, he’ll be looking at a career similar to Mecole Hardman.
Final Grade: 4th Round
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: NFL Draft Scouting Report - Jalen Royals
Continue reading...
