Recently, we have seen several receivers reunite in the NFL with the quarterback that they played with in college. In the last two off-seasons, there has been a trend of NFL teams bolstering their receiving corps by adding a receiver, either through the draft or via trade, that their current quarterback knows from their shared college days.
For these teams, pairing their young quarterback with a talented receiver, with whom they have already developed chemistry, has ultimately proved to be an effective strategy in helping these quarterbacks take the next step in their development.
2021 NFL Draft an Excellent Case Study
Notably, the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft saw several teams select skill position players that their quarterback played with in college. For instance, the Bengals used the 5th overall pick to reunite 2020 1st overall pick Joe Burrow with Ja’Marr Chase, his favorite target on the 2019 LSU team. In the NFL, these two have continued to replicate this success, as Burrow and Chase produced historic numbers while leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season.
One pick after Chase, the Dolphins selected Jaylen Waddle, the Alabama receiver who played with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for two seasons in college. In his two pro seasons, Waddle, mostly alongside Tagovailoa, has recorded 179 receptions for 2,371 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
Shortly thereafter, the Eagles traded up to the 10th overall pick to select DeVonta Smith, who played with quarterback Jalen Hurts at Alabama for two years. After a strong rookie season, Smith, along with Hurts, made a significant leap in production, recording 95 receptions for 1,196 receiving yards and seven touchdowns en route to a near Super Bowl victory.
Moreover, the Jaguars used the 25th overall selection on Clemson running back Travis Etienne, which reunited him in the pros with his longtime backfield mate Trevor Lawrence, whom the team selected earlier in the night with the first overall pick. Although he missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury, Etienne registered 1,441 total yards from scrimmage in 2022. Etienne and Lawrence ultimately played pivotal roles in the Jaguars winning the AFC South last season.
2022 Offseason Saw Some Massive Receiver Trades
On March 17th 2022, the Raiders sent shockwaves through the NFL when they acquired All-Pro wideout Davante Adams from the Packers for a package of premium draft picks. This trade reunited Adams with Raiders QB Derek Carr, his college teammate at Fresno State from 2011 to 2013.
In their time together in college, the Carr-Adams duo connected for a total of 233 receptions for 3,037 yards and 39 touchdowns. Despite the time apart, they immediately rekindled their connection in 2022, as Adams recorded 88 receptions for 1,290 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns with Carr at the helm.
Meanwhile, on draft day last year, the Cardinals acquired Marquise Brown, reuniting him with Kyler Murray, his quarterback at Oklahoma. Although both players dealt with serious injuries at various points, their connectivity was on display throughout the season, highlighted by Brown’s Week 3 performance when he recorded 14 receptions for 140 receiving yards.
4 Receivers That Could Reunite With Their College Quarterbacks
As we all know, the NFL is a copycat league. Given that the aforementioned tandems have achieved a ton of success at the next level after forging a connection while still in college, it feels inevitable that teams will look to supplement their young quarterbacks with familiar targets. Which teams could be replicating this strategy this upcoming offseason?
Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers currently hold the 17th overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft, which is right around the projected range for USC wideout Jordan Addison. Although the Steelers have invested significant resources at the receiver position in George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, they may be tempted to select Addison and reunite him with his college quarterback, Kenny Pickett.
Addison and Pickett enjoyed considerable success together while at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2021, Addison caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns, with the majority of those receptions coming on passes from Pickett, to help lead the team to the ACC title.
Recently, The Athletic’s NFL Roster Evaluation Model, which ranked teams on their need to upgrade a particular position group based on production, depth, contract stability, and injury history, had the Steelers as the sixth-rated team that needed to upgrade at wide receiver.
This high ranking may be due in part to some concerns about Diontae Johnsons’s inconsistency in both his effort and production. After agreeing to a two-year, $36 million extension in the offseason, Johnson could be a surprise trade candidate, with several teams likely willing to take a flier given his talent and reasonable contract.
Thus, the Steelers could replenish their receiving corps by drafting Addison and building a supremely young and talented receiving corps around Pickett with Addison, Pickens, and formidable TE Pat Freiermuth.
Jerry Jeudy, New England Patriots
Jerry Jeudy may be another receiver looking for a change of scenery this offseason. Amidst a historically disappointing 2022 season in Denver filled with trade speculation on Jeudy, SI’s NFL insider Albert Breer recently reported that Jeudy could once again potentially be on the move this offseason.
#Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy was "available for trade" in October and November of this past season.
He wasn't traded because "No one was willing to give Denver what it would take to get him." according to @AlbertBreer
It remains to be seen what will be their approach this offseason. pic.twitter.com/Bgs4v60BxC
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 17, 2023
Meanwhile, the Patriots currently have a lackluster receiving corps that could get even weaker, as Jakobi Meyers is an impending free agent. Although Jeudy’s first three seasons in the NFL have been marred with injuries and inconsistent quarterback play, Bill Belichick has a history of buying low on talented, young players that have not lived up to expectations.
Moreover, with his savvy and polished route-running abilities, Jeudy can be a great receiving option for Mac Jones, whom he played with at Alabama. In Jeudy’s final college season in 2019, Jones started the last four games for the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Jones and Jeudy, who were roommates during Jones’ freshman season in 2018, connected on six receptions for 204 yards and one touchdown in Alabama’s 35-16 victory against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
As Jones struggled in his sophomore season under the guidance (or lack thereof) of Matt Patricia, perhaps it would serve Jones’ and the team’s best interests to reunite him with an extremely talented and familiar target. With Bill O’Brien, who most recently served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, now tasked with rehabilitating Jones, acquiring Jeudy can help smooth over Jones’ developmental process and help him regain his strong form from his rookie year.
Hunter Renfrow, Cleveland Browns
Following a disappointing first season in 2022 under the new regime of coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, the Raiders may be looking at significant changes to their roster. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, McDaniels and Ziegler are expected to aggressively tweak their roster in order to add players they consider to be more in line with the culture they are trying to build.
Fowler adds that one likely trade or release candidate is wide Hunter Renfrow. Meanwhile, one team looking to upgrade their wide receiving corps currently features Renfrow’s college quarterback.
Last season, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled in his six starts to close out the season once he returned from his suspension. After signing Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, the largest in NFL history, the Browns must find ways to put Watson in the best position to succeed. One effective way to do so would be through acquiring Renfrow, who demonstrated incredible chemistry with Watson during their time at Clemson together.
With Watson at the helm, Renfrow contributed immediately as a redshirt freshman in 2015. Renfrow played in 13 games, catching 33 passes for 492 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. In addition, Renfrow had his best performance of the season in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship game loss to Alabama, as he recorded seven receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
The following season, in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, a rematch against Alabama, Renfrow caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Watson with one second remaining in the game.
January 9, 2017: Deshaun Watson finds Hunter Renfrow for a TD with one second left to give Clemson a 35-31 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. pic.twitter.com/YRyb5aq7r1
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) January 9, 2021
Given that the Browns have a pressing need at wide receiver, acquiring Renfrow for some mid-round picks feels like the move most likely to happen amongst those previously highlighted.
John Metchie, Houston Texans
Although John Metchie is not technically being acquired by the Texans in this case, he has yet to make his NFL debut. In July of 2022, several months after the Texans drafted Metchie in the second round, with the 44th overall pick, of the 2022 NFL Draft, it was announced he had been diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia.
After missing his entire rookie season, Texans GM Nick Caserio said last month that Metchie has made remarkable progress in his recovery. Caserio added that there is a chance Metchie will be ready for the start of the team’s offseason program.
In Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock draft, he has the Texans selecting Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the second overall pick. Young, with his exceptional instincts, leadership, and playmaking ability, would be a natural fit for the quarterback-needy Texans.
Moreover, one factor that could compel the Texans to select Young over the other quarterbacks is that he already has an established rapport with Metchie from their time together at Alabama. In 2021, Young’s first season as the team’s starter, Metchie recorded 96 receptions for 1,196 yards and eight touchdowns.
Although there are concerns about Young’s size and durability, he is considered by most analysts and front office executives to be the first quarterback selected in the upcoming draft. In addition, with the Bears more likely than not to trade the first overall pick, there is a chance that a team can jump over the Texans to select Young.
However, it is no certainty that any team that trades for the first overall pick would take Bryce Young. Thus, the Texans would be in prime position to do so, which would reunite Young with the electrifying Metchie at receiver.
Main Photo: Isaiah Downing – USA Today Sports
