The New York Jets might have found a hidden gem in the 2016 NFL Draft in wide receiver Charone Peake.
With the New York Jets needing help in their receiving corps, they took a player that most thought would be selected earlier on in this year’s draft. Peake is someone who can be a game changer for the Jets because of his height and weight. He had a incredible career for the Clemson Tigers last season in helping them get to the National Championship game.
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His stats from his freshman to senior year improved which helped his draft stock when preparing for the next level. He averaged about 716 yards last season and 14 yards after the catch with five touchdowns.
He has a lot of upside to his game that the Jets could use in taking pressure off of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Peake is a big player at 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighing in at 215 pounds. He is a dangerous on short and intermediate routes that could help in goal line situations for the Jets.
When it comes to deep routes he has a second gear where he turns it on and makes defenders miss. With how physical he is, he’s able to dominate the corners and become a problem for opposing defenses. When quarterbacks make difficult throws, Peake is able to make it look easy and make them look like it was no problem. Peake is a high character player that is well respected on and off the field.
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What was also interesting about him is he came back from the adversity of knee surgery very well.
He is also able to sell his routes which throws off corners to get separation.
Peake is also able to get into opposing defenses minds a lot because of the way he handles himself.
His size will be a major plus to have on the other side of the field to help out Marshall.
He has some negatives in his game that most rookie wide receivers have coming into the league. He suffers through quite a few drops but it is because he is looking ahead rather than locking in on the football. He has small hands for the wide receiver position that could be a problem for him to earn a starting spot. When he is looking for the football he has a problem in tracking the long ball. He doesn’t always show up in the run blocking and breaks off blocks too early. His first three years in college have caused himself to overall have a disappointing college career. Peake has had many problems with his knee that it required him to get two knee surgeries which could be a red flag.
Peake has a good chance of making this team this offseason for his play making abilities. He could be a punt returner or even a kick returner that the Jets desperately need. He could also help out with the older receiving corps the Jets will need to improve.
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Overall, Peake could be a decent No. 3 target but he will have to push himself to make it. He will have to go into training camp and just put his head down and work hard. If he is able to fix his problem with his hands, then he will have a successful career.