DeSean Jackson has been in the NFL for over a decade, yet he’s still viewed as one of the elite at his specialty by NFL experts and insiders who grade players annually. Recently Pro Football Focus broke down what the prototypical wide receiver would be in the NFL, using these five intangibles, route running, slot play, big wideouts/TE in the slot, deep threat and finally the possession receiver.
Jackson, the Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver, made the list for his deep ball prowess.
DEEP THREAT – DESEAN JACKSON, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Jackson returns to Philadelphia where he did a lot of his early damage on deep threats in his career, returning as the NFL’s leader in deep receiving yards over the past 10 seasons. He leads the league not only by a handsome margin in deep receiving yards but also leads the entire cast of WRs in receptions, yards after the catch, touchdowns, explosive plays all while averaging the second-highest yards per reception (40.0) among receivers with at least 100 deep targets over the past 10 years.Jackson, even at this stage of his career, has the speed to burn and an incredible burst when necessary while possessing the skills to locate, navigate to and track the ball while keeping his top-end speed.
Honorable mention: T.Y. Hilton, A.J. Green, Julio Jones
The LA Chargers Keenan Allen got the nod for his route running, Golden Tate was selected for his ability as a shifty slot receiver, the Chiefs Travis Kelce got the nod for big slot and finally, DeAndre Hopkins was deemed the prototypical possession receiver.
