2019 NFL draft: Jalen Jelks can be the next Jason Taylor

Jalen Jelks might be one of the most physically gifted defenders in the 2019 NFL draft, but has he shown enough to be picked like one?

Position: DE

School: Oregon

Year: Senior

Height: 6’6

Weight: 245 lbs

STRENGTHS:

• The term “body beautiful” will come to mind with him. Appears to be in excellent condition with the kind of size that makes defensive coaches drool.
• When he decides to use his power to a full extent, he has that rare capability of not only rocking tackles back but literally running them over or tossing them aside.
• Has the lower body strength as well that allows him to stand up offensive linemen and set the edge against the run, forcing back to go inside.
• Does a good job of getting his hands up into the passing lane when the quarterback goes for the quick throws, often leading to deflections due to his long arms.

This showcases exactly what Jelks is from a physical standpoint. When he’s allowed to get a full head of steam he can deliver a ferocious bull rush that most tackles wouldn’t be able to stop. He’s got power in both the upper and lower body and when he uses his long arms on top of it he almost always gets into the backfield. There is so much untapped potential.

• Moves surprisingly well for a man his size. Has the speed to chase down runners to the sideline before they can turn the corner.
• Shows some flashes of countering back on inside moves when initially blocked around the edge, leading to some clean shots at the QB.
• Much of why he never seemed to excel as a pass rusher was his usage. Oregon’s scheme had him moving mostly along the interior, never playing a true edge position.

WEAKNESSES:

• Never really broke out as a pass rusher. Had seven sacks his junior year but then regressed to 3.5 as a senior. So it’s hard to say if he has a natural feel for it.
• Snap anticipation isn’t the best. Rarely is the first one to engage his blocker. This puts him at a disadvantage since tackles will almost always be set to face him.
• Hand fighting needs a lot of work. Doesn’t show enough ability or violence trying to shed blockers once they get hands on him.
• Motor comes into question a lot. Can tell he’s not going 100 mph all the time, especially when the ball goes away from him.
• Lets offensive linemen get into his body way too often, leading to him losing all steam in his pass rush. Tends to give up at times when this happens
• Having that tall frame is great at times but he has a bad tendency to play that way, not keep low and using leverage to his advantage.

Pro Comparison:  Jason Taylor

People forget that the general feeling on Jason Taylor coming out of college was mostly upside. He was a 6’6 kid with a freakish athletic body but had not yet mastered the art of pass rushing. He only had 21 sacks in four years at Akron. Once he got to the NFL and got into a system with coaching that understood how to unlock those vast talents, he exploded for 139.5 career sacks and found his way to the Hall of Fame. Jelks has that same look. Does he have the same want?

Projection:  3rd round

There is no question that Jelks has the physical talent of a 1st round pick, but his tape and production at Oregon show a player that has work to do. He’s unrefined in a lot of areas and may take a year or two to fully discover the true depths of what he can be at the NFL level. In these situations, the best thing for teams to do is wait until the latter half of Day 2 before considering a roll of the dice on him.