Mile High Morning: Breaking down Jerry Jeudy's and KJ Hamler's best routes

[Miles]

The Lead


Drew Lock's arm might get tired this year with Jerry Jeudy in the lineup.


In an analysis of the 2020 rookie wide receivers' top routes, ESPN Analytics' Seth Walder dissected why go routes were where Jeudy was best.


"There was not a single player more productive running a go route — which encapsulates a bunch of straight vertical routes in this case — than Jeudy over the past two seasons," Walder wrote. "His 6.2 yards per route run bested everyone."


Walder's final analysis breaks down how Jeudy's skill set might fit in with the Broncos' offense. With the addition of Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator, it should put Jeudy in position to succeed.


"The Broncos actually ran vertical routes, like gos and posts, at a below-average rate and targeted them at an average rate last season," Walder wrote. "But former New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is now the offensive coordinator in Denver, and the Giants ran over 200 more vertical routes than the Broncos last season."


As for second-round pick KJ Hamler, Walder highlighted his slant routes, on which Hamler gained 8.1 yards per route run. Like Jeudy's go routes, Hamler's slant routes were college football's best.


"He made the most of his 33 slant routes over the past two seasons, averaging 8.1 yards per route run, tops among all qualified wideouts," Walder wrote. "Even if his 58-yard touchdown against Maryland -- which included some run-after-the-catch theatrics that forced a defender to eat turf -- were removed, he still would have been in the top 10 in yards per slant run."