Scouting Devin Street
Earlier this month, the Jets confirmed the signing of former Cowboys and Colts wide receiver Devin Street, who will compete for a roster spot in a crowded receiver group.
The 26-year-old Street is listed at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, and was a former fifth round pick for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. He had played for the Colts last season but caught just one pass after catching nine passes in two years with Dallas.
Background
Street left Pittsburgh as the leading receiver in school history with 202 receptions and was a two-time all-conference selection.
He started four games and caught 25 passes in his freshman year, but became a full time starter as a sophomore, catching 53 passes. In 2012, he caught a career high 73 passes for 975 yards and added five touchdowns.
While his production dropped back down to 51 catches in his senior year as he missed four games, he did post career highs for yards per catch (16.7) and touchdowns (seven).
Dallas moved up to select him in the fifth round but he failed to break into the rotation in his first two years and was released in final cuts last year. In 2016 he played five games with the Colts, catching one pass. He has also had two short stints with the New England Patriots but did not play for them.
The Jets signed Street two weeks ago when Quinton Patton landed on injured reserve.
Let's move onto some further analysis of what Street brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
The main thing Street brings to the Jets' receiving corps is size. He'd join Robby Anderson as the only Jets' receivers listed as over 6'2" and he obviously has a bigger build than the wiry Anderson, although he could still serve to put on a few pounds.
As you can see, his combine numbers were pretty good:
He improved on a couple of these at his pro day with a 4.5 40-yard dash and an excellent 6.72 three cone drill.
Usage
Street played both inside and out at Pitt, but has mostly been employed on the outside at the pro level. In fact, he's only caught one of his 10 passes while lined up in the slot and it happens to be his only touchdown:
He's caught a couple more passes out of the slot in preseason action, but again played primarily outside.
Street would also sometimes motion over to the edge of the line in a blocking tight end type of role with Dallas.
Deep threat
Street hasn't really been much of a deep threat. He's caught a few downfield passes, such as the one in the above gif, but never really taken the top off. He seems to be more of a possession receiver, even though his straight line speed is pretty good for his size.
His teams have looked for him downfield unsuccessfully on several occasions in regular and preseason action.
Routes
The book on Street was that he's an inconsistent route runner but he does show some fundamental ability and comes out of his breaks smoothly. However, the timing was off on a few occasions, although that may have been a product of not getting to play much with the starters.
His size alone makes him a handful for cornerbacks to cover as his new teammate Morris Claiborne found out on this play from practice.
Street seems to have been most effective on slant routes and crossers at the pro level, although there's a small sample size to base that on.
Hands
Street hasn't had major issues with drops in his three years in the league so far. He only had a couple, one of which was as he perhaps made his break too late and didn't have time to react to a pass with a lot of zip on it.
He usually looks pretty smooth catching the ball and has made a couple of diving catches, but there are times where he won't catch the ball cleanly and a defender will knock it away or it will come out when he goes to ground. His regular season catch rate is below 40% and his preseason catch rate isn't much better at just over 50%.
There are also concerns over ball security as he can be a bit reckless with ball protection. That bit him on this play:
His best catch at the pro level was easily that beautiful sideline grab from the first gif above. That was reminiscent of Santonio Holmes' Super Bowl winning grab.
Yards after the catch
Street hasn't done much damage after the catch at the NFL level and has only broken a couple of tackles. He did display those skills in college though:
None of the teams he's played for at the NFL level has used him to catch a screen pass but he did catch some in college and also carried 11 times for 77 yards.
Blocking
Street isn't regarded as a particularly physical blocker but he's put some decent moments on film. His length will enable him to dominate smaller defensive backs, although he might struggle to sustain against bigger players because he is so lean.
He's been able to execute the block on the edge when motioning inside to an h-back position and also out on the perimeter on runs and screen passes. Here he does a good job on his man way down the field:
Physicality
Street isn't particularly physical and could perhaps add some bulk to improve upon this. Whether it be as a route-runner, while blocking or with the ball, he doesn't generally stand out in this area. He's not averse to going over the middle though:
He has had a couple of offensive pass interference calls but these were because he was blocking too early.
Instincts
Coaches have praised how smart Street is and his ability to pick up the offense quickly. He is also said to have good field awareness.
There was one mental error on his only catch of last season as he bounced the ball after a catch and was called for an admittedly harsh delay of game penalty. This still helped set up a late go-ahead touchdown in a Colts win:
Scheme Fit
Had the Jets still been employing Chan Gailey, Street might have been considered as an option to operate out of the slot. Instead, he might be a potential back-up for Anderson's role.
I was going to say that he might be an option for the scout team, since the Jets don't have any other tall receivers to replicate those that they might face. However, I believe Street is ineligible so that might limit their options with him.
Special Teams
Street hasn't contributed much on special teams at the NFL level, other than a couple of holding penalties. He does have some very limited experience of returning kicks. He ran a kick-off back 22 yards in a regular season game and returned two punts for six yards in preseason action.
Attitude
Street was a team captain in college and is said to have good character. However, he does have one red flag in his past; an assault charge, which was later dropped after he agreed to community service and a disorderly conduct charge instead.
When he left Dallas, he made some comments about not being surprised because the culture there didn't really suit him which are open to interpretation.
Street is generous, as evidence by the fact that he once didn't bathe for a week to raise money for charity.
Injuries
Street had some injury issues in his senior year, with a sprained ankle, shoulder injury and elbow issue all combining to cause him to miss four games including Pitt's bowl game.
He's also had a couple of concussions, including one in 2015 that caused him to miss a game. Other than some minor ankle issues, he's otherwise been healthy in the pros.
Conclusions
Street is probably a long-shot to make the final roster, but would have had a good opportunity to make an impression this week with both Jets draft picks and starter Quincy Enunwa all out injured.
The size that he brings to the table gives him some hope that he can find a role for himself on this team, but he's still probably a good bet to be a victim of the numbers game.
However, if he does get a shot, he has put some nice things on film and so he does have the ability to make a positive impression. That's the best way he can improve his slim roster chances.
Up next: We'll look at another recent addition; running back and kickoff returner Jordan Todman.