June 28, 2021

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded up eight spots in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft to select wide receiver Jaelon Darden from North Texas. Darden is the man that the wise men were speaking about when the proverb "lightning in a bottle" was first coined. He played nine games in his senior season and racked up 74 receptions for 1190 yards and an astounding 19 touchdowns. He finished as the school's all-time leader in receptions (230), receiving yards (2,782), and receiving touchdowns (38). He's only 5'9," 174 lbs, but he is a playmaker in the truest sense of the word. He's explosive, elusive, and incredibly quick-twitched, able to separate in a phone booth. He runs sharp, crisp routes without decelerating out of his breaks, and he can downshift at top speeds providing instant separation. He also provided my favorite quote from a prospect this draft season: "slow feet don't eat." Head Ccoach Bruce Arians called Darden "kind of a combo of Emmanuel Sanders and John Brown," and that comparison fits perfectly. Darden has the intelligence, savvy route running, and ability to separate at will like Sanders, and he has explosive top-end speed and burst off the line like Brown. Dynasty managers should be drooling over Darden since Chris Godwin is on the franchise tag and Antonio Brown signed a one-year deal. But sadly, redraft managers can avoid him this year. He is competing with Mike Evans, Godwin, Brown, Scotty Miller, and Tyler Johnson for snaps. If he can somehow get on the field, we know Tom Brady will find whoever is open, and Darden is always open. Darden will contribute on special teams right away in Tampa and offers explosive gadget-like potential, but likely will not have a role on offense worthy of your roster this year.--Frank Dyevoich, Esq.