Rakim Jarrett 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Rakim Jarrett was a highly-touted prospect coming out of St. John’s College High School. A five-star recruit and top-five receiver in the 2020 class, he originally committed to LSU before flipping to his hometown Maryland Terrapins.
Over three seasons in College Park, Jarrett compiled 119 catches for 1,552 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention all three years. Jarrett was most productive as a sophomore: 56 catches for 769 yards and five touchdowns. His production dipped this past season, primarily because Maryland’s offense spread the ball around to all their weapons.
Stefon Diggs and DJ Moore are two notable Maryland wide receiver products currently in the NFL. Could Rakim Jarrett be another high-impact UMD product? Let’s take a look at what he brings to the table.
Strengths
Jarrett’s biggest strength is his ability to create after the catch. He’s difficult to tackle due to his quickness and compact frame. He’s a smooth mover with above-average athleticism who is physical enough not to get bullied by press coverage.
The 6’0″, 190-pound receiver is especially dangerous in the slot, which is where he got most of his looks in college. He runs precise, quick routes over short and intermediate distances (1.51 10-yard split) and has a really good understanding of where the gaps are in zone coverage. Jarrett just knows how to get open. After settling down and making the catch, he is quick enough on his feet to find the best path to extra yardage.
His vertical came in at 35.5″ at the NFL Combine, but he might have better hops than that gave him credit for.
Weaknesses
As previously mentioned, Rakim Jarrett will be much more effective as a slot receiver than an outside receiver in the NFL. This is due to the fact he is more quick than he is fast. Although he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash, Jarrett doesn’t quite have the in-game burner speed to separate from defensive backs and his contested catch ability isn’t strong enough to mitigate that issue. Sometimes the speed shows up, and sometimes it doesn’t. So while he’s versatile enough to line up as an outside receiver, he has some limitations that make him less viable at that spot.
Although his compact build makes him difficult to tackle in open space, it hurts his catch radius and may result in getting pushed off his spot at the next level. He’s also not great at beating defenders in the open field, which is a little odd because that isn’t necessarily for a lack of shiftiness and he still manages to be very good after the catch. His hands could stand to be better as well.
Conclusion
When watching Rakim Jarrett, it’s clear what he possesses that made him a highly-recruited wide receiver. While he is versatile in alignment, he’ll have his best success as a slot receiver in the NFL due to his short-area quickness and understanding of how to beat zone coverage. Watch out for him as a serious YAC threat. Jarrett’s limited catch radius and inability to separate will hurt him lining up on the outside, but he has good enough hands and is a good enough route runner to not be completely useless there with some development.
He’s currently projected as a Day 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but Rakim Jarrett has the tools to outperform that stock and be a very reliable playmaker in the slot. The former Terp has plenty he needs to refine, but he’s certainly worth a look for any team looking to diversify their offense. Lots of upside here.
***
SUBSCRIBE to the Vendetta YouTube Channel!
SHOP for Vendetta Merch!
SUPPORT Vendetta on Patreon!
