Draft Profile: Stanford WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside – Jorge Eckardt

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by Jorge Eckardt

JJ Arcega-Whiteside

6’2’’ 225

2018 Stats

63 receptions, 1059 yards, 14 touchdowns.

Strengths

Contested Catch & Hands – As one of the larger wide receivers in the draft he sure makes good use of his size advantage to make the catch. He has the ability to make the catch whether he has to go up for the ball or hold off multiple defenders hanging on his back. Not only can he fight for the ball, but he has the ability to snag ones that are thrown above his head or at his shoe tops. He can hold on through and big hits as he has no problem absorbing some contact.

Size & Strength – As previously mentioned, Arcega-Whiteside is one of the larger receivers in the draft. He’s an aggressive ball carrier and is not afraid to truck through defenders to get those extra yards. If you want someone that will fight for every yard he can get, he’s your man.

Weaknesses

Explosiveness – Arcega-Whiteside just does not have the ability to create proper separation. He has been known to take too many stutter steps at the line and primarily excels in short yardage situations. There are concerns that once in the NFL, he will not be a very effective deep ball target because of his inability to break away from defenders.

Speed – Now it’s not that he’s slow, but he’s wheels are just nothing special. When matched up with some of the speedier defenders in the league like Patrick Peterson or Denzel Ward, he could be in for a long day. While he didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the combine, his 4.49 that he ran at his Pro Day would have landed outside the top-15. Speed kills, and he just does not have that weapon.

Overall

The Stanford product definitely has the talent to be an impactful player in this draft. While he certainly is more effective as a red zone target than as a deep threat, quarterbacks will have a fun time throwing him the ball knowing that he will be able to make even some of the toughest catches. He should be one of the first ten wide receivers off the board, and it will be very surprising if he is still up there on the third day.