Jamison Crowder Has A Chance To Make A Big Impact As A Rookie

The NFL Draft is now over and many of the un-drafted free agents have signed with teams, now is a good time to look at what kind of impact these guys might have during the season. Jamison Crowder was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of this years draft and he has a pretty good shot of being an instant impact player.

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Crowder was an All-ACC performer his entire four year career at Duke, as he was very productive whether it be by catching passes or returning kicks and punts. Coming into the draft it seemed as though he would be used as more of a return specialist in the NFL, and while that still might happen, he will also get a shot to be a slot receiver.

Head Coach Jay Gruden sees Crowder as a guy that could be a great punt returner, but General Manager Scott McCloughlan said he wants Crowder to be given a shot to win the slot receiver job.

Right now the Redskins depth chart at wide receiver is pretty solid with DeSean Jackson, and Pierre Garcon locked in as the two starters on the outside. Last year Andre Roberts, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, was brought in to be the slot receiver and return man, but he wasn’t as productive as they would have hoped. Roberts ranked 86th out of 110 qualifying wide receivers by pro football focus last year so obviously the Redskins are hoping they can improve upon that.

Nowadays, with more spread offenses in the NFL, the slot receiver has become a huge part of a team. When you look at guys like Randall Cobb, and Victor Cruz these slot receivers could have a huge impact on their team. Crowder isn’t a big guy, but he is quick and can definitely get open at the next level.

To hear from the GM that he wants to give you a shot to play slot receiver, has to be a welcome surprise for Crowder. He is definitely capable of doing it, and should he have a good training camp catching the ball, he has the potential to be an impact player in his rookie season. At the very least though, we know that Crowder will have opportunities to effect the game on kick returns and punt returns.

Look out for Jamison Crowder on Sundays come the fall, because the former Duke Blue Devil might just become one of the steals of the 2015 NFL Draft.