PSO Scouting Report: WR Justin Jefferson (LSU)

PSO’s original Scouting Reports strive to be uniquely valuable in evaluating a player’s future outlook by focusing on the four main subjects that summarize a player’s likelihood of succeeding at the next level including: natural Physical Tools, College Game Film, proven Production, and overall Risk that each individual player presents to a team drafting him. For a full breakdown of PSO’s Scouting Reports, click here.

Bio

Pos: WR

Hometown: Saint Rose, LA

School: LSU

Class: Junior

Age: 21

Height: 6’1″ | Weight: 202 lbs.

Hands: 9.13” | Arms: 33”

Bench: N/A | 40 Time: 4.43s

Facts to Know

2nd-Team All-SEC & CFB National Champion in 2019
Led FBS in receptions (111), 3rd in yards (1,540), and 2nd in TDs (18)
More slot receptions and yards than any other WR (109/1,518)
14 receptions, 227 yards and 4 TDs in the CFP Semifinal vs. Oklahoma
12/13 on contested catches (92.3%)

Physical Tools

Pros

Tested much better than many expected (126.1 SPARQ score finished better than 81%)
Fantastic length (33” arms)
Good deep ball speed (4.43s)
Very fluid, loose hips along with quick feet
Adequate frame (6’1”, 202 lbs) for NFL WR

Cons

Would benefit greatly from continuing to add strength to his frame
Lacks next-level explosiveness
Good, but not great in any physical aspect

Grade: B+

Game Film

Pros

Savvy from the slot — attacks and manipulates defenders’ leverage
Reliable hands, strong at the catch point (7 drops on 134 targets)
50/50 balls are more like 70/30 — smooth and subtle in-air adjustments
Finds holes between zones extremely well
Creates YAC in a variety of ways
Fearless going over the middle
Made some plays as a backfield receiver
More than willing to get his hands dirty and block

Cons

Gets knocked off his route a bit too easily at times
Succeeded by finding soft spots in the zone rather than creating 1v1 separation
Benefitted from some truly amazing throws, great talent surrounding him

Grade: A-

Production

Pros

2nd-Team All-SEC (2019)
Effective out wide, but exploded out of the slot
Led the nation in slot receptions (109) and yards (1,518)
92.9 PFF intermediate grade (7th)
23 forced missed tackles in 2019 (T-3rd)
The very best contested catch rate in FBS (92.3%)
Dominated Oklahoma in the CFP Semifinal and thrived in the Championship as well

Cons

Took only 5 snaps out wide in 2019 compared to 553 the season before
2019 only season of elite production
Decent amount of screen production (67th in FBS)
Benefitted from defenses paying attention to Ja’Marr Chase

Grade: A-

Risk

Pros

Very good athlete with solid size and great length
Instant-impact ability from the slot
Impressive ability at the catch point
Already has a year of experience running an NFL-style offense
Came through in high-pressure situations – clutch factor
Athletic family with LSU football in their blood
High football IQ, reads coverages well
National Championship pedigree, main contributor on 15-0 team

Cons

Benefitted greatly from having an elite QB throwing him the ball
Historically-productive offense — arguably not even the best WR on his team
Lacks experience vs. press and true man coverage
Elite from the slot but only the slot — relatively underwhelming production out wide
Needs to keep adding strength to his frame

Grade: B

Overall

Primarily playing out wide as a sophomore (79% snaps), Justin Jefferson was a pretty productive deep threat, averaging 16.2 YPC on 54 receptions. In Joe Brady’s offense, however, Jefferson shifted to the slot for 92% of his snaps and put up video game-like numbers, setting records alongside Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.

While he put up elite numbers from the slot this past season, its reasonable to question whether that success can only be replicated from the slot and/or with elite talent around him. With a great catch radius, a solid athletic profile, lots of potential as a route runner, and a high football IQ, Jefferson should be able to step into the slot and immediately contribute. If he can prove an ability to get off press and win consistently on the outside, however, Jefferson may be a legitimate steal in the back-half of the first round.

Pro Comp: WR Marvin Jones Jr. (Detroit Lions)

Projected Round: Mid-late 1st round

Prime Destinations: NYJ, DEN, LVR, PHI, MIN, GB

OVERALL Grade: B+