Giants: 3 slot WR replacements for Golden Tate in 2021 NFL Draft
By Dylan Grimm
Day-three target: Jaelon Darden, North Texas
Jaelon Darden might be one of the most exciting players nobody knows about. Going widely unnoticed and not talked about in the national media is because he played at North Texas. While North Texas is a smaller school it is still a respectable level of competition and boy did Darden dominate that competition.
Even though Darden is pretty small checking in at roughly 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, he put up insane numbers the last two seasons. Darden left North Texas with a total of 2,782 yards and 38 touchdowns on 230 catches. Darden also contributed in the return game totaling 52 total returns between both punt and kick returns, 609 yards, and one touchdown.
At the next level, it will take some creativity from Jason Garrett to get Darden involved and open. Playing at such a small size will make life difficult to get off the line of scrimmage or if he got bumped by a linebacker while running a route. While Jason Garrett isn’t exactly known for creativity it won’t take a ton to get Darden involved. Getting Darden the ball on screen plays, deep throws, and quick passes in open space to let him work.
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Darden plays with a speed and shiftiness that simply can’t be taught. Trying to get ahold of and keep ahold of Darden is like trying to catch a greased-up watermelon. Darden is tiny but is ultra-productive and that will be enticing for NFL general managers. At worst taking Darden will provide you with a gadget player who can get a few plays drawn up for him and a solid returner for special teams.