No one was happier that the Denver Broncos nabbed Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy in the first round of this year’s draft than second-year quarterback Drew Lock. Here are Jeudy’s odds at Mybookie to win 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the Broncos’ over/under win total.
- Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year: +1600
- Broncos’ win total: 8 (over -125 favorite)
Jeudy was the No. 15 overall selection in April’s draft by Denver. He was a very touted recruit out of Florida and Jeudy enrolled early at Alabama and participated in spring practice for the 2017 season. He was named the MVP of Alabama’s A-Day spring game after catching five passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, he finished the season with 14 catches for 264 yards and two scores.
In 2018, Jeudy won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wideout and was first-team All-American. He finished tied for third nationally and led the SEC with 14 touchdown receptions; that total was second in Alabama history, just two shy of Amari Cooper (2014). Jeudy also led the Tide with 1,315 yards, good for second in UA history for a single season, also behind Cooper (2014 – 1,727 yards on 124 catches). Jeudy’s 68 catches were fifth all-time at Alabama. His 19.3 yards per catch were a Crimson Tide single-season record (minimum 50 catches), surpassing the previous total of 17.0 by DJ Hall in 2006 (17.0 – 62 receptions for 1,056 yards).
Last year, Jeudy was very good if not quite as dominant in 2018. He had 77 catches for 1,163 yards and 10 scores. He recorded 29 explosive receptions of 16-plus yards, good for second on UA, and had a team-high 52 catches that converted a first down or scored a touchdown. He was named MVP of the Citrus Bowl with a career-high 204 yards in his final NCAA game.
For his career, Jeudy’s 26 TD catches are second in school history behind Cooper’s 31. Jeudy ranks fourth on the Crimson Tide’s career receiving yards list with 2,742 yards on 159 catches. He averaged 17.2 yards per catch for his career, a number that is second in UA records behind only Ozzie Newsome’s 20.3 ypc. He’s fifth on the career receptions list for UA with 159. Jeudy’s 64 receptions of at least 15 yards over the past two seasons were the most in the country.
Over the last 11 drafts Alabama has had four receivers drafted in the 1st round, the most of any school. Two of the three Alabama receivers (Julio Jones and Amari Cooper) have made the Pro Bowl while the other (Calvin Ridley) has played only 2 seasons.
Jeudy sports a 6-foot-1, 193-pound frame and is extremely versatile, having shown the ability to produce on all levels, as well as in the slot (69% in 2019) and on the perimeter. Jeudy is fast (4.45 40-yard dash), agile and a quality route-runner. To win on the outside in the NFL, he’ll need to get stronger, but he otherwise projects as a go-to receiver who can also thrive in the slot.
How Denver will distribute the targets with Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and second round pick KJ Hamler will be one of the intriguing storylines of the AFC West in 2020.
“I love the way he plays,” Sutton said of Jeudy. “I do think that he’s going to be able to bring value to our room. He’s going to add a lot more pressure to defenses with his speed [and] his route running ability. I think it’s going to open up a lot for a lot of the guys on the field.”
Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson is very high on Jeudy and believes he will be the best rookie wideout in the NFL this year.
“I just think this guy is an exceptional route runner,” Tomlinson said. “He’s very precise in his routes. When you look at him, you know that he’s been coached to be a really-good route runner. I just think about Pat Shurmur’s offense with a lot of play action. This guy, you have to have precision and route running when it comes to play-action football. This guy has a chance to do that. He’s going to be special.”
