The Jets’ receiving corps isn’t loaded with speed.
They only have one deep threat, and he’s almost never used at receiver – special team’s ace Saalim Hakim.
Eric Decker ran a 4.54 forty coming out of college. That is the same exact 40 time as David Nelson. Greg Salas ran a 4.52. Slot receiver Jeremy Kerley ran a 4.56.
Then you have Jalen Saunders.
“This young man is a speedster,” said Jim Nantz during the Jets-Raiders game.
No he’s not. He ran 4.44 at the combine, which isn’t great speed for a 160-pound receiver.
“Lacks elite top-end vertical speed, especially for his size,” said Nolan Nawrocki.
Saunders is very quick, not that fast. There is a difference.
Walter Powell, who they claimed off waivers from Arizona, ran a 4.63 coming out of Murray State.
I think this is a solid receiving corps, but there is nobody to blow the top off the defense, with Hakim an afterthought in the Jets’ offense.
Stephen Hill was run out of town, but he runs 4.3, and defenses needed to honor that when he ran down the seam.
Who do they have to honor running deep right now?
Maybe they should start using Hakim more at receiver, so his 4.25 can help take a safety out of the box, helping the Jets’ running game.
This article originally ran in the monthly Jets Confidential Magazine. To subscribe, you can do so on this website, or by calling, 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 9-5).
