Prospect Profile: Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington

Context

Played the slot in Washington’s high volume passing attack.

Before the Catch

He is deadly off the line of scrimmage if you don’t get a jam on him. In soft press, or catch man, he has a varied release package; he can close the space to the DB in a variety of different ways, all of them squaring up the DB before executing his release. His most dangerous weapon is his double move where he is able to release whichever way he wants and very quickly gain several yards of separation. This is most effective on shorter routes that call for an earlier break. He also uses a single move and speed release to keep the defender honest and not over-reacting to his main move. In these situations, he also attacks leverage expertly, which is something he does against off and bail coverage too. He really is proficient in manipulating defenders in his release and his stem. If he does happen to be jammed at the line of scrimmage, which he wasn’t often in college, he would struggle to release cleanly as he doesn’t have the technique with his hands and therefore play strength to clear his hands and get detached from the defender. He will allow the defender to stay in phase through the first portion of the route. He also has this deficiency at the break-point if he stems too close to the DB; if they have solid play strength they can use it to prevent separation at the top of the route. Also, when his stem goes through a heavy underneath zone and the LB makes it his business to re-route him, he can be sent off course and have the timing of his route disrupted by an easy bump that doesn’t compromise the LB’s zone.

Where he does separate is with his processing and technique which is outstanding against Man coverage. On hitch routes, he snaps off acceleration suddenly, drops his weight and immediately gains separation. On deep comebacks, he also sinks his hips well but he takes too many steps at the top of his route to stop, letting the DB back into the route. On speed cuts he can take a little too long to make the full transition but his acceleration out of the break allows him to get and stay open. He has good speed but can’t consistently blow by defenders on straight go routes. His specialty is vertical cuts on slants and posts or corners where he attacks leverage, gets the defender to turn his hips the wrong way frequently. He is compact, with excellent posture and good explosion into another gear after the break. He’s technically excellent on double moves. For all routes his stem is exceptional and it gives him a chance to compete even in the scenarios just mentioned where he might need some improvement. He could also get open more frequently vs Zone if he made subtle adjustments to his positioning.

The Catch and after the Catch

He attacks all targets exceptionally well and has textbook hand positioning, except on balls thrown behind him over the middle of the field when he doesn’t adjust his hands quickly enough to be consistent catching the football. He’s a good ball tracker downfield and can win in contested situations, mostly down to his body control and adjust to the football. This is also good on the sideline to get feet down in-bounds. He can win with YAC due to speed, elusiveness with a great spin move, and contact balance.

SUMMARY
Deadly in release if he isn’t jammed. Separates with elite processing and technique in most routes, great hands. Has small technical flaws to work on and needs to increase play strength.

PRODUCTION
JR: 63 Tgts, 45 Recs, 553 Rec Yards (12.3 Ave), 5 Rec TDs
SO: 118 Tgts, 79 Recs, 1098 Rec Yards (13.9 Ave), 9 Rec TDs
INJURY: Knee injury, missed 2 games & limited (JR)

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 4
Intelligence 4
Versatility 2
Grit 4
Scheme 5