Probably wishes he would have given it another year. Ran the slowest 40 of all wide receivers. His 4.75 speed was unimpressive and his 6'3" 5/8 height and 210 weight were both less that on the Texas roster. Have to wait and see how it works out for him.
On the other hand, the young man makes plays. He has escapability. Rarely does first contact bring him down. He catches the ball. Michael Irvin didn't have great speed either. But he knew how to get separation and he always made the catch. I think Lil Jordon has what it takes that will allow him to make a team and be a fine player.
The other thread already talked about this, but like many on it stated, there's no way he improves his draft status with another year. He'd still run a 4.7+ and have the same measurables. Someone will take a flyer on him because of his big play potential and frame.
sometimes it's not about the height, hand size, speed. he is what he is, which is a great possession receiver.
Agree. I’m a massive skeptic of the combine. These players aren’t objects, they’re people. Heart trumps measurables every time, and you can’t measure heart.
He'll probably get drafted, but he would probably be be better off being an UDFA. Then he could sign with the team that's the best fit for him.
I did not mean to imply he could change his measurables. With another year on an improved team he should be able to improve his skills, stats, size and name thereby improving his draft status. Maybe dramiticlly.
I agree. I don't understand the posts saying another year of experience and resume' in college doesn't help. If true, it is another reason why I don't like the NFL and think it is a crap product if that is the mentality of the people doing the hiring.
How do you measure the value of the one-cut quickness of an Edelman, Beasley or Welker? I think we all know now that the quick burst crossing route or slant has a niche in the NFL. I think Lil Jordan can only offer a slower Dez Bryant target. He has to completely master reading a defense. His body is stout enough to physically simulate the one-cut quickness by blocking out the defender. He has to have glue for hands. I think he could possibly thrive on a great offense with many weapons. But does a team like that believe Lil Jordan's skill-set is specifically what they would want as a starter? Or is he just a guy you take a flier on?
Edelman wasn't invited to the combine but during his Pro Day ran a 4.01 Short Shuttle. The fastest at the combine that year was 4.03 seconds. He also weighs 198lbs at 5'10". His key metric which the Patriots leverage significantly is that quickness which is DAMN good. It's that quickness which makes him very difficult to guard from the slot position where he has multiple directions to go.
Edelman is a different type of receiver imo. So maybe not an exact example. because 6'4, 225# is a different animal from 5'10, 195#. But the point is relevant.
Edelman I think ran. 4.51 40. That's not head turning speed for a smallish receiver, but it's comparable to many NFL corners and faster than the average safety.
Combine also has no way to measure body control, vision, etc etc LJH didn't look particularly fast as he scored a lot of his TDs, but he sure had a knack for using his body and vision to make people miss or bounce off of him, and look silly in general, as they tried to tackle him.
LJ will make a team and have a nice career. Don't care about his speed, he is a football player and football players are much more important the being a combine warrior.