I’m not going to label him a bust already, but I am skeptical of just how much he’s going to grow from being comically bad Year 1 to being productive in Year 2.
I mean, we’re talking about a 2nd Round pick who got outplayed by Greg Ward off the practice squad and who was losing snaps to a third-string tight end turned receiver in Josh Perkins by the end of the season. He was outproduced in the passing game by Miles Sanders. And it's not like he didn't get plenty of opportunities. Just how much faith should we realistically have in JJAW at this point?
And I’m aware that you don’t need to be a burner to be effective in the NFL, which is why I mentioned JJAW’s terrible route-running and lack of ability to generate YAC. Alshon Jeffery (who you mentioned), in his prime, never had high-end speed but he could stack defenders in a way that gave his QBs a window to throw into. JJAW hasn’t demonstrated the ability to do that, either in college or the NFL.
And if you’re not doing it in college, just how likely is it that you’re going to be doing it in the NFL?
Now, maybe a big part of that is on Carson Walch. Maybe Aaron Moorehead will be better in teaching JJAW how to use his frame to his advantage. Maybe with Alshon on PUP to start the season, JJAW benefits from more time with Wentz and the two develop some chemistry together. Maybe with a (hopefully) healthy DeSean, along with Reagor, to open up the offense, JJAW benefits from some more favorable conditions. But we’re depending on a lot of “what-ifs” from a guy who especially bad his first season in.
I won’t declare JJAW a bust yet, but I don’t think it’s worth counting on him either. He’s going to have to step up in a very big way, and make an incredible leap forward.