What Is It About Jordan Matthews That People Don't Like at 28?

[XClown1986]

What is eerie about Jordan Matthews, is he is receiving some of the same criticisms as his uncle with his break away speed and acceleration in and out of cuts. But watch when Jordan has the ball in his hands or when the ball is in the air, he has a burst to break away. With some refinement in technique, he can start his routes at a quicker speed in order to get separation earlier. I really think that might be his only weakness and it looks to be pretty coach-able. He looks every bit like a number one receiver to me. 

[Riverboat Ron]

I think the Saints will grab Matthews at #27.

[kman72]

He will be a heck of a football player. Idk where he will go but I can tell you if we get him I will be very happy no matter where we pick him. I do all the mocks and know the value of players but my philosophy has always been...

 

Doesn't matter where you take a player. If they can play and contribute to the team then they are a good pick. Why wait and hope someone falls, if you feel he can play then you take him. 

[Panthro]

AJ Green, Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, Randall Cobb, Denarius Moore, Alshon Jeffery...that's in like the last 3/4 years

 

It's early on Patterson and Hunter but they have promise.  

 

So basically they produce 1 decent one a year....Calvin is Ga Tech

 

[davos]

So basically they produce 1 decent one a year....Calvin is Ga Tech

Oh whoops on megatron, but yep, they produce 1-2 WRs a year.

[carolina-chuck]

Who the hell doesnt like him????

Those people better go back amd take a hard look on him again. Most fans dont know crap about prospects. They listen to the experts and falls in love with the players with the coolest names.

Other than Watkins and Evans, I believe that Jordan Matthews and Davante Adams are two players ready for big time as rookies.

[dksmith17]

NEGATIVES

Screen Passes: Matthews is used on screen passes as often as any wide receiver in the 2014 draft class. The problem is that he is not elusive or dynamic enough to create on this type of play in the pros. His build-up speed does make him a threat to go the distance on perfectly-blocked screens (and Vanderbilt did this multiple times during his career):

But he is pedestrian when the play is defended competently:

You can see the same contrast on end arounds/reverses.

Well-Blocked:

Well-Defended:

Physical Play: Matthews can be re-routed too easily in man coverage. He doesn’t fight for his lane in his route and the defender dictates where he can run. Watch this red zone play get thwarted by a hand on the shoulder:

This problem also pops up repeatedly when Matthews has to compete for a ball in flight. Matthews fades away from the ball and his body goes slack. He waits for the ball to come to him and does not bang in the air or attempt to high point the ball. Sometimes you’ll see contact or grabbing that could be called interference when Matthews is defended on a downfield pass, but no flag because Matthews does not make a strong enough bid on the ball to draw the call. Watch these plays for examples of Matthews deficiency making a strong play on a ball in flight when he has to compete for it:

Creating Separation vs Man Coverage: Obviously, Matthews was not creating separation on those plays above. Matthews does not usually get open with sharp routes against man coverage. He isn’t sudden enough at the top of his routes to create a lot of separation in the pros. Matthews did have one go-to move to get open deep, a hitch-and-go double move:

But watch how it easy it is to defend him when a corner sniffs it out:

Which outcome do you think will happen more often in the pros?

Counterfeit Big Plays: That hitch-and-go leads to the last point - most of Matthews big plays are not going to translate to the pros. With the exception of a few nice one-handed catches when he gets a step on the corner early in a downfield route, Matthews’ big plays tend to fall into one of these categories:

• Hitch-and-Go
• Well-Blocked Screen
• One-on-one with a Safety
• Defensive Lapses

[MichaelNewtonII]

I would so love for Houston to take Mack or Clowney and then trade back into the first with us for a QB.

First pick in the second and third would be nice.

Picking at the top and bottom of rounds 2 and three would produce some great guys

I heard a report somewhere that either the coach or gm or someone said they are for sure taking a QB #1

[stirs]

I heard a report somewhere that either the coach or gm or someone said they are for sure taking a QB #1

 

The report was that the Texans would be taking a QB in the draft, but would not indicate which round.

 

[MV%doe]

last year he would have been drafted before austin

[Soul Rebel]

Glad to see all the love for Matthews.....really thought people thought he was a 2nd round talent or would rather have the flash of OBJ or Cooks (though OBJ is my 2nd fave WR at 28) instead of the precision of Matthews. Hope he makes it to 28.

[Swaggasaurus]

Watch him run in space....his vision makes him better than OBJ or Lee when it comes to taking it to the house. Big guy, speed is not as apparent as the little guys, still there though. Watch and tell me who gets caught and ran out of bounds and who cuts into open grass