Clayton: Jerry Jeudy appears poised for a breakout season in 2021

Aside from the battle at quarterback between Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, one of the key players to watch in training camp is wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

Jeudy has star written all over him. He struggled with drops last year, but it appears as though he’s fixed that up this offseason. The scouting report on Jeudy was that he has Marvin Harrison-type talent. He may not be the fastest wide receiver, but his route running is great.

It surprised me last year when the Las Vegas Raiders selected Henry Ruggs at No. 13 ahead of Jeudy at No. 15. From my many calls to Alabama, where they both played, everyone told me Jeudy was the No. 1 receiver on the Crimson Tide. Sure, Ruggs is fast and the Raiders historically like fast. But Jeudy was better.

Look at their production in their rookie seasons. Jeudy had 52 catches for 856 yards and a 16.5 yard per catch average. He did this despite the struggles of Lock. Ruggs had only had 26 catches for 452 yards and a 17.4 average. Jeudy had three touchdown catches. Ruggs had two.

Where the Broncos have a chance to jump the Raiders is their stability at receiver. They have Jeudy who could have a 1,000-yard season, the return of one-time Pro Bowl wideout Courtland Sutton and last year’s second-round choice in K.J. Hamler. This is a young group that should be good for years.

The Raiders have had more instability at receiver than most teams at receiver. They’ve been through Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, Nelson Agholor, J.J. Nelson, Dwayne Harris, Amari Cooper and others. It’s hard to grow with that many changes.

The Broncos need a good season from Jeudy and the receivers to make a playoff run.