Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson was named the second best home run hitter in the league in a recent Bleacher Report article.
One thing is becoming abundantly clear; if the upcoming season was played on paper, the Buccaneers would already be NFC South champions. From all over the map, the assessments of the team are strong. From high grades in the draft, to excitement about Jameis Winston‘s development, to Noah Spence as the next big pass rusher, and everything in between, the Bucs train is heating up. The cannons are being fired and the NFL world at large is ready to “Siege the Day”.
Much of that love is being thrown DeSean Jackson’s way. He was one of the prized choices during the free agency period. He is well-known for his ability to stretch a defense. After all, he did lead the NFL in yards per catch last season with 17.9. Jackson’s skill-set is exactly what the team was looking for to put opposite the great Mike Evans. He will also help Winston with his accuracy. Last year, he had the highest “bad pass percentage” in the league at 20.11% (per Sporting Charts). Having a guy that can go and get it like DeSean Jackson will save a lot of errant throws.
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The world is catching on to how good this guy really is. Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report recent released a top-ten home run threats in the NFL. Guess who came in at number two? If you guessed DeSean Jackson, you would be right. Here is a little of what Tanier had to say:
"DeSean Jackson led the NFL last season with 17.9 yards per reception. It was the third time he led the league and the fifth time he averaged more than 17 yards per catch. He recorded four 50-plus-yard receptions: three long bombs and a catch-and-run against the Bears. Jackson has now caught 57 passes of 40-plus yards in his career.But the receptions themselves don’t tell the whole story. Jackson drew five pass-interference penalties for 169 yards last season, according to Football Outsiders. So tack five more big plays (including fouls that netted 46 and 50 yards) onto Jackson’s numbers."
Besides anything else, isn’t it great to have a Buccaneer mentioned in the same breath as Julio Jones? We are really moving up in the world, am I right?
Not to get greedy, I mean we all know that Jones is an All-World talent, but there are some stats where Jackson compares favorably. We have already talked about the yards per reception from last season. For their careers, Jones has never led the league in yards per reception, while Jackson has done it three times.
Let’s take a look at big plays. Jones caught 11 passes that went for 25 yards or more. Jackson caught 14 (per Sporting Charts). So in some ways, you could say that Jackson is the best home run hitter.
Next: Five Bucs who must step up in 2017
But, it’s hard to complain about our player being ranked number two. He will certainly show the world what he is worth in 2017.