About Jalen

Born the son of a former NFL defensive lineman, Jalen Reagor has NFL in his DNA and wasn’t raised like your average wide receiver. He grew up in Waxahachie, Texas and was a multi sport athlete for Waxahachie High School. Before committing to TCU Reagor was an Under Armour All-American in 2017 and was the 13th best wide receiver in his high school class according to 247Sports.com.

It is hard to keep an athlete like Reagor off the field, even as a freshman. Sonny Cumbie and TCU’s staff would use Reagor in special teams, the receiving and the rushing game. He caught 33 passes for 576 yards and 8 touchdowns, earning him the 2017 Big-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

After finishing his freshman year off strong, Reagor would continue to torch Big-12 defenses all season long. Doubling his catches with 72 and nearly doubling his receiving yards with 1,076, Jalen Reagor was all of TCU’s offense in 2018. He had a streak of 7 games with a receiving touchdown and there was even a point where announcers would describe any TCU touchdown he didn’t score a “Non-Reagor” touchdown.

This season has been up and down not just for Reagor but for the Horned Frogs as a whole. They have played with 3 different QBs this year, and the most consistent starter is a true freshman. On top of all that defenses now know to game plan around Reagor since he is such a big part of this offense. He has still managed 36 catches for 545 yards and five touchdowns, but most NFL scouts were expecting very big things out of him this season. The lackluster season could hurt his draft stock, but his skill set is still among the best of this class.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Reagor is one of the most athletic players in this draft class, and should more than blow up the NFL Combine. He possesses 4.29 speed and once jumped 26 feet during the long jump in high school. During his sophomore year after a game I was waiting in line for the bus to take us back to the parking lot, and Reagor walked by everyone and shouted

“Everyone have a blessed night and get home safe! Go Frogs!”

I have gone to TCU games since I was roughly 13 years old, and that was the first time I have seen any player talk to the fans after a game like that, which I think just shows who he is off the field as well. He is electricity in a bottle, and the definition of a home run hitter in football. Being as twitchy and explosive as him makes him a nightmare in man coverage, and plays a lot bigger than he actually is. He is a crisp route runner and will out jump most defenders even at 5’11.

TCU WR Jalen Reagor pushes deep before make a quick cut outside to get wide open and then is able to make a shoelace catch behind him #TCU #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/pWaBW2KaE5
— Brian Johannes (@Draft_Brian) July 22, 2019

Weaknesses

The biggest flaw in Reagor’s game would obviously be the amount of drops he has had throughout his career. While the quarterback play by TCU has been lackluster for most of Jalen’s career, there is no excuse for mental drops. Another con I have against him is more due to TCU than his actual play style is his limited routes we’ve seen him run consistently. The Big-12 is full of speed offenses and a bunch of “7 on 7” type game scripts; so we must wait a little longer to see his advancement of routes.

NFL Draft Projection/NFL Player Comp

NFL Draft Projection

Even though Jalen is the 3rd best receiver on my board, doesn’t mean he will be the 3rd wide receiver taken come April. Depending on which team is up to draft, they could look to draft Tee Higgins. Higgins is a great receiver as well, but with a totally different skill set from Reagor. If a team is looking for a bigger body, I wouldnt be surprised if they passed on the former Horned Frog.

The Philadelphia Eagles were playing with only two healthy receivers at one point in the season, so it’s obvious they need more depth at the position. Reagor not only gives them that, but he is exactly the type of receiver they like to target as well. Jalen is a super athlete, and will take the top off a defense with ease. He also can be a weapon in the return game, though considering what I said earlier, I don’t know if they would want him taking those hits.

NFL Player Comp

I thought long and hard on who Reagor’s game most reminds me of and I couldn’t quite figure anyone out. When watching him play I see a lot of Steve Smith Sr in his game. The best way to describe Jalen Reagor is a dog, and that’s what characterized Steve Smith’s game as well. Like I said earlier, he plays a lot bigger than he is and already has shown to give 101% every play.