One of the more interesting D2 prospect journey's of the 2024 NFL Draft class, one that demands a deeper look...
*WR grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, Wonderlic test results leaked, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.
*WR-B stands for "Big-WR," a classification we use to separate the more physical, downfield/over-the-top, heavy-red-zone-threat-type WRs. Our WR-S/"Small-WRs" are profiled by our computer more as slot and/or possession-type WRs who are typically less physical and rely more on speed/agility to operate underneath the defense and/or use big speed to get open deep...they are not used as weapons in the red zone as much.
Buckle up for this one...
Of all the D2 or FCS or IPP prospects, the likely UDFA or 7th-round (at best) type of prospects that I’ve watched tape on, on the offensive side of the ball, and there’s probably 300-400+ of them (QB-RB-WR-TE and O-Line) and counting this year (as always), hunting for hidden gems...John Jiles might ‘the one’...might be the ‘best hidden gem of the draft year’ candidate – and is the #1 among them right now, to me, but I’m still looking through prospect tape and data up to the draft, and beyond.
From a distance, his football/prospect story looks like NFL doom -- JUCO to Virginia Union with a year off to focus on getting his academics up and finally to West Florida...and most likely you’d think he’s a UDFA (at best) with suspicions of ‘something must be wrong with him’ due to his weird lower-level college maneuvers, but when you dig deeper, there is some rationale for the odd football path he’s been set on...and we’re going to examine that.
BUT...the background story doesn’t really matter if this, or any, D2 player is ‘meh’ as a talent. Jiles is not ‘meh’. Let me show it to you first, see what you think at a glance, then we’ll dive deeper...
Quick 2+ minute prospect tape, at least watch the first 6-7 catches: https://youtu.be/swFKlAHrGNk?si=ac8Kdu3dn__CCIpH
I walked away from my tape study very impressed with Jiles’s natural abilities. He just has an ‘it’ factor ability to catch the ball but also run with a football...and you see glimpses of that on the highlight tape). I showed the tape to our long-time FFM scout Ross Jacobs to see what he would think at a glance...he said, what my first thought was too: Tyrell Williams. And Tyrell Williams was a buried D2 WR that went undrafted many years ago, and was a prospect that I pushed early in my scouting career as one of the best WRs in his draft. He went undrafted but made the Chargers roster his rookie year and was pushing to be their most dangerous WR 2-3 years into his run with the San Diego/L.A. I get a similar vibe from Jiles. He has size (6’3”/219) and reasonable speed for his size (4.57 40-time, 1.57 10-yard, 7.12 three-cone...and he looks faster on-field)...but it’s his hands and contested catching ability, at his size, that really draws my attention...with all the other attributes and abilities thrown in. On the tape, you’ll see him bully/bowl over would-be tacklers as well...he’s not finesse, he’s tough when he needs to be with a solid/thicker frame.
To me, I see a better Javon Baker styled WR with a sprinkling of Dez Bryant-like WR play (which is not as unique in this era as it was a decade+ ago).
Obviously, one would wonder/think – sure, Jiles looks fine on the tape -- but that was at the D2 level. That’s a legit reaction...and there is no answer for it because we’ve not seen him at the D1 level. He did make it to the Hula Bowl and caught some attention there, but that’s just an all-star game glimpse that we’ll discuss in a moment.
Let me fill in the blanks on his football journey and see if it makes his D2 level make some sense...
Originally committed to Marshall, Jiles did not have the grades to get into the D1 school (and by his own admission, he did not take school seriously and you’ll see how he deals with that later). So, he went the JUCO route.
Oh, and he was a top high school safety prospect...1st-team all-North Carolina at safety...and he just dabbled in some WR and RB work in high school. He was headed to Marshall as a safety. It was when Jiles went to Fort Scott Junior College, that he moved to WR.
Jiles was a JUCO star for two seasons (2018-2019), as you would expect...learning/committing to play WR in the JUCO ranks. He was good enough to get several D1 offers (Memphis, Houston, Liberty among the leading contenders to land him).
Jiles then found out his JUCO credits weren’t transferring over to D1 schools as he had expected. He was still good enough to get the attention of the CFL...he was offered an opportunity to head to the pros/CFL, but then COVID hit and ended that.
In 2021, Virginia Union offered him...a place where the coach knew of Jiles from the JUCO ranks...his stepson played with Jiles at Fort Scott. The coach thought he’d never have a shot at a player like Jiles, but he got him...Jiles agreed to go if he could take 2021 off to get his academics focused on/turned around. So, he did.
Jiles returned to the field in 2022 and had a nice season for Virginia Union as a WR...and led all of D2 in blocked kicks with a stunning count of six. He used that 2022 season to transfer to West Florida, where he fully broke out.
Jiles set several team records at West Florida and was top 10 in most all the key receiving categories in D2. His 11 catch, 277 yards, and 3 TD game set several game records at the school, and one was of the best single game tallies in conference history. Jiles had his best output season in his career at West Florida: 66 rec., 1,275 yards, 16 TDs in 12 games...catching exactly half of all the teams TD passes and having a huge share of the yards and receptions for the team as well.
Jiles’s 2023 was good enough to get him on the Harlon Hill list (D2 Heisman). After the season, he was invited to the College Gridiron showcase for D2 prospects. He played so well there he got a late invite to the Hula Bowl All-Star game and got to go against D1 players finally. Jiles caught more and more scout’s attention at the Hula Bowl week.
Jiles is getting some play in the mainstream. He’s made to some top 50 WR prospect rankings for various services. He seems to be a good kid/young man trying to get his academics right as he grows into the WR position he really didn’t focus on until college. His story smells of a knucklehead doomed to D2, from a distance...but I think, with more digging, that there might be just a solid character with maturation through college and with a lot of raw WR talent that hasn’t seen great coaching or workout staff/coaches, etc. He has brothers who played D1 and FCS football...so he has good genes.
There’s an upside here, but it’s gonna be a mountain to climb for him to get there in the NFL by virtue of his small-school status.
John Jiles, Through the Lens of Our WR Scouting Algorithm:
-- Record setting game performances and top 10 seasonal tallies in every level of his play in various categories at all his stops...from JUCO to Virginia Union to West Florida.
-- Was in the running for the Harlan Hill award in 2023.
-- College Gridiron Showcase and Hula Bowl invitee/participant.
-- Recently named the #4 small school prospect for the draft, at any position, by a ranking service/site.
2024 Pro Day Measurables:
6’2.6”/219
4.57 40-time, 2.65 20-yard, 1.57 10-yard
4.35 shuttle, 7.12 three-cone
17 bench press
34” vertical (not sure that report out is correct...seems very low compared to what he's doing on tape)
10’00” broad jump
The Historical WR Prospects to Whom John Jiles Most Compares Within Our System:
Some interesting comps for Jiles in our database...most all the top hits were productive NFL players...but were also all D1 players, so we’ll see if Jiles can make that move from the D2 ranks.
|
WR Score |
Draft Yr |
Last |
First |
College |
H |
H |
W |
Power Strength Metric |
Speed Agility Metric |
Hands Metric |
|
7.210 |
2024 |
Jiles |
John |
W. Florida |
6 |
2.6 |
219 |
8.05 |
6.10 |
8.26 |
|
8.154 |
2009 |
Britt |
Kenny |
Rutgers |
6 |
2.7 |
218 |
9.44 |
5.22 |
7.79 |
|
8.691 |
2014 |
Robinson |
Allen |
Penn State |
6 |
2.5 |
220 |
8.57 |
4.24 |
9.34 |
|
4.306 |
2017 |
Pascal |
Zach |
O. Dominion |
6 |
1.5 |
219 |
7.18 |
2.40 |
7.17 |
|
8.840 |
2017 |
Godwin |
Chris |
Penn State |
6 |
1.0 |
209 |
9.04 |
7.56 |
8.76 |
|
8.324 |
2022 |
London |
Drake |
USC |
6 |
3.7 |
219 |
7.69 |
7.97 |
10.32 |
|
6.027 |
2012 |
Quick |
Brian |
Appalachian St |
6 |
3.6 |
220 |
6.80 |
2.64 |
8.31 |
*A score of 7.0+ is where we start to take a Big-WR prospect more seriously. A score of 8.50+ is where we see a stronger correlation of a Big-WR going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system and indicates a greater probability of becoming an elite NFL Big-WR.
All of the WR ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances.
Overall WR score = A combination of several on-field performance measures, including refinement for strength of opponents faced, mixed with all the physical measurement metrics, and rated historically in our database.
“Power-Strength” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding physical size profiling, bench press strength, etc. High scorers here project to be more physical, better blockers, and less injury-prone.
“Speed-Agility” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding speed, agility, physical size, mixed with some on-field performance metrics. High scorers here project to have a better YAC and show characteristics to be used as deep threats/to create separation.
“Hands” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding on-field performance in college, considering the strength of opponents played. Furthermore, this data considers some physical profiling for hand size, etc. High scorers here have a better track record of college statistical performance. Everything combining to project catch-abilities for the next level.
2024 NFL Draft Outlook:
Jiles isn’t listed on most draft services as a top 100 WR...if they even list him. Where he is listed, he’s getting more and more respect into the top 50-75 WRs for a few. In the end, I’d guess UDFA is his destiny...but 7th-round isn’t out of the question.
If I were an NFL GM, I’d be looking at Jiles on the short list of 7th-round options. I’d rather draft him than risk losing a bidding war in the UDFA ranks. Despite his long journey to the NFL Draft, Jiles is still ‘just’ 23+ years old...will be 24 to start the NFL preseason.
NFL Outlook:
Jiles will get a chance to impress this summer to try and make a team. He’s either going to splash quick (which I think is the right bet) or he may get lost in the wash and may have to play a season in the UFL to get noticed. It’s always a hard road for D2 guys, but he will get a fair chance to impress once signed to a team this summer. He’s one I’ll definitely be scouting for updates in the NFL preseason.
