Scouting Jojo Natson
Yesterday, the Jets announced that they had activated wide receiver and return specialist Jojo Natson from the practice squad. He figures to make his NFL debut in Tampa this afternoon. We've therefore been researching and reviewing film to assess his strengths and weaknesses.
The 23-year-old Natson is listed at 5-foot-7, 153 pounds, and is an undrafted rookie out of Akron. He had a productive preseason with the Colts but failed to make their roster in final cuts.
Background
Natson began his college career at Utah State, where he was a dynamic playmaker. In his third year with the Aggies, Natson accumulated a career-best 1,000 yards from scrimmage. He also was a major special teams contributor, returning four punts for touchdowns over the course of his time there.
However, Natson was kicked off the team in 2015 and had to sit out the season after transferring to Akron.
He had a good season in 2016 with the Zips, tying his career-high with 59 catches and setting career marks for receiving yards (837), yards per catch (14.2) and touchdown catches (10). He also returned another two punts for touchdowns with the fourth best average in the nation.
Natson was not selected in the 2017 draft but signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent. He had an impressive training camp with the Colts and was productive in preseason with 13 catches for 180 yards, averaging 100 all-purpose yards per game.
The Jets added him to their practice squad in September and activated him yesterday following Jeremy Kerley's suspension and an injury to ArDarius Stewart.
Let's move onto some further analysis of what Natson brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
The first thing to note is that Natson is extremely small. He's under 5'7" and listed at 153 pounds, although he describes himself as "160, or 162 on a good day". When he suits up later today, Natson will be the smallest player in the NFL since Brandon Banks last played in 2012.
Note: In Jets history, only Dave Jacobs (a kicker who made five of nine field goals in 1979) and Titus Dixon (a wide receiver who returned four kickoffs for 67 yards in 1989) have been smaller than Natson.
As you might expect, Natson makes up for his lack of size with speed an acceleration. When he was with the Colts, Chuck Pagano nicknamed him "The Flea", which seems apt. This shows up on film, but Natson's pro day numbers are not particularly outstanding. He was timed at 4.46 for the 40-yard dash, although he claims to have run sub-4.4 in the past.
Usage
Natson has primarily played in the slot in college and with the Colts, although he does line up outside sometimes. His production from the slot has typically accounted for two-thirds to three-quarters of his total production.
He was used differently at Utah State than how Akron used him. The Aggies used to give him a lot of carries on jet sweeps, reverses and even on read-option plays with him lined up in the backfield. He was also used primarily as an underneath possession option averaging less than 10 yards per catch in each of his three seasons.
At Akron, he was more of a downfield threat, averaging over 14 yards per catch, and hardly ever carried the ball.
The Colts used him to run a jet sweep on this play:
Deep threat
As noted, Natson wasn't really a downfield threat at Utah State, but he showed that ability in his senior year at Akron.
He showed it in preseason too, burning his man for this deep catch:
He also had a downfield catch on a post route and another big play over the top on a wheel route in preseason.
Routes
Natson obviously has good quickness and change of direction skills so he should be adept at getting open on slant type routes.
He showed good versatility on the routes which he saw success with in preseason, making a clean break on this out-breaking route:
Hands
Natson has some spectacular catches on his highlight reel, displaying an ability to make diving or leaping catches at full extension and show good concentration on tipped passes.
Dropped passes weren't really an option at Utah State when he was catching a bunch of short passes, although he did have several drops last year with Akron. He only dropped one pass in preseason.
He shows a good ability to adjust to the ball in mid-air and make a tough catch on this play:
Ball security can be an issue, though, as seen on the deep catch further up the page, where the ball was stripped but eventually bounced out of bounds.
Yards after the catch
As usual with return specialists, Natson can be deadly after the catch. He says he's looking to score every time he gets his hands on the ball and shows a good ability to slip through gaps and use his speed to elude tacklers:
At his size, he's not going to break many tackles, but he'll lower his head and fight for yardage at the end of a run.
Blocking
At his size, you wouldn't expect Natson to make many contributions as a blocker, but he gives a good effort. He had a decent block on a screen pass in preseason.
Physicality
Pagano described Natson as "fearless" and called him "tough as nails" in preseason. Here's an example of that from his college days.
Natson doesn't have a ton of strength but has stated that he can be effective against press coverage because he's quick enough to elude the jam altogether at the line.
Special Teams
Natson is a "home run hitter" according to Pagano, who said that the Colts were extremely close to springing him for a big return on a number of occasions in preseason.
Of course, dangerous return men are not uncommon, but it's difficult to find one who is completely reliable in terms of ball security and Natson is no exception. He muffed one punt and lost a fumble at the end of a return in preseason. He also recovered from dropping this kickoff to make a good return to the outside:
Natson shows his punt return abilities here, with a quick cut to make the first man miss:
Instincts
Natson has excellent open field running skills and a knack for finding running lanes and breaking into the open field. He shows a flash of that here:
Attitude
Natson had some off-field issues in college. He was kicked off the team at Utah State for breaking team rules, the third such incident he had while on the team. The first incident saw him spend a night in jail after being arrested on charges of theft after diverting school funds intended for a teammate. The charge was reduced to a misdemeanour and he paid a fine and served probation.
At Akron, head coach Terry Bowden said Natson was a "perfect citizen" and praised how well he had done in the classroom, so it seems he has put these issues behind him.
On the field, he had seven penalties at Akron, including penalties for false starts and unnecessary roughness. He had one offensive pass interference penalty in preseason.
Scheme Fit
Natson is probably coming on board to return kicks, but with Stewart's status uncertain and only three other receivers on the roster, he may need to play some reps in the slot as well. With Matt Forté out, perhaps they also wanted someone who could line up at running back in an emergency.
Natson could also be a player for whom the Jets could put in some special packages.
Injuries
Despite his lack of size, injuries haven't been an issue for Natson so far. He played 51 games in his college career, sitting out 2015 due to transfer rules. He also played in all four preseason games with the Colts.
Conclusions
Natson is an exciting player who was very close to making the Colts roster after an impressive preseason. It's somewhat surprising that they didn't retain him on the practice squad themselves. It perhaps also reflects well on his progress that the Jets opted to activate him ahead of Jalin Marshall, who was a main rotation player 12 months ago.
Like Kalif Raymond before him, Natson could be a boom-or-bust type of addition. He has the potential to make some game-changing plays, whether they be long returns or ill-timed turnovers. Hopefully his focus has been on avoiding the latter and he's impressed the Jets adequately in practice that they feel comfortable with him now.