*Jaylen Waddle, Alabama Football News: Draft Scout Player News

09/27/20 - WR *Jaylen Waddle, Jr/2021, Alabama

Mac Jones now has two road starts under his belt, one in last year's Iron Bowl as a spot starter and Saturday's outing against Missouri as the established starting quarterback. In both instances, he knew he could lean on Jaylen Waddle. So he did. Waddle was the intended target on the Crimson Tide's first offensive play, an incompletion. The next nine targets produced eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, making him the star performer of UA's 38-19 win over Missouri. "He gets open, that's his job and I think he does a great job doing it," Jones said. "We've had a great relationship since he stepped on campus, going back to summer 7-on-7s, getting that chemistry with him, all the late nights at the indoor."

As he was last year, Waddle was used in motion at times to create openings for him, but part of his new role as an every-down wide receiver is to be a more naturally occurring part of the offense, one that gets the ball somewhat regularly even when plays are not designed specifically for him. Waddle did that in addition to showing a skill he had not in the past: making plays to receive the ball, as opposed to once he receives it. In the pass-catching portion of Waddle's Alabama career, most of his receptions have been carefully designed where Waddle is granted to space to make the catch, and his job to make defenders miss after that. On the first play of UA's third offensive possession, Waddle made a jumping catch in between two Missouri defenders: He was the recipient of hard contact from Missouri safety Tyree Gillespie, but in the process he became the lone UA player to generate a play of more than 35 yards, gaining 46 on the play. - Montgomery Advertiser

Jr/2021