Jarvis Landry: Overrated, underrated, or neither?

Is Miami Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry overrated? Is he underrated? Is he none of the above?

The NFL offseason is for fun headlines, and I was perusing Twitter the other day to find a debate about whether or not Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry is overrated.

Let me give you the spoiler alert: he’s not.

Jarvis Landry is and has been underrated since he came into the league, though at this point, he’s commanded enough respect that I think you could also argue he’s neither overrated or underrated at all.

He’s simply, ‘rated’.

Landry has a unique skill set for a 5-11 receiver, starting with his 202 pounds of bulk. He’s quicker than fast, but he doesn’t lack play speed. He didn’t time well prior to the 2014 draft, which is why the Dolphins were able to make the rest of the NFL look like morons and get him at the very end of the second round.

Coming out of LSU, I can’t remember a more pro-ready receiver that I scouted other than his teammate Odell Beckham Jr., and both players had phenomenal rookie seasons. Landry finished his rookie campaign with 84 receptions and 954 yards on kickoff returns, proving his versatility offensively and on special teams.

He came out this past year and caught 110 passes for 1,157 yards and four touchdowns, along with a punt return for a touchdown and a rushing touchdown. The Dolphins found plenty of ways to get him the football, even targeting him 165 times in the passing game, but there’s no question he’s going to see a lot more opportunities this year.

Landry is capable of making incredible catches look easy because of his strong hands. He plucks the ball away from his body and has great body control. In addition to being able to win position over defensive backs, Landry has always been a great route runner and coming from a pro style offense in college, he was well-versed in NFL concepts coming in.

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That’s why he and his teammate Beckham Jr. have been able to make such a significant early impact on the game. Landry works from the slot, he can run out of the backfield, he can obviously play out wide, and he provides a spark in the return game. He’s such a natural football player, and though he was a Pro Bowler this past year, I would argue he doesn’t get enough positive talk because of how average Ryan Tannehill has turned out to be.

That’s not Landry’s fault…

If Tannehill can finally break free from his chains of mediocrity, perhaps Landry will blossom into the player he’s capable of being, which is one that averages double digit touchdowns every season and makes regular appearances on the All Pro team.