Future of Charone Peake roars loud

The New York Jets made their final selection in the 2016 NFL Draft in wide receiver Charone Peake. He has the potential to be a pivotal part on offense for years to come.

When it comes to the New York Jets, they needed to add quality depth to their wide receiver corps, similar to other teams that know it’s what turns pretenders into contenders. Over the years, the NFL has seen its fair share of late-round draft picks turn their careers into that of noteworthy praise. And the league has also seen wide receivers come out of Clemson and become among the best; Martavis Bryant, DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins just to name a few.

Peake has potential to be a part of that discussion. He was the 241st overall pick in this year’s draft and after an impressive 2016 NFL Combine, Peake can shy away from his rather quiet college career by applying his vast skill set to the pro level.

Peake stands at 6’2″, 209 pounds, but don’t let his build discourage you – because it doesn’t bother him one bit as he can keep up with the best of them.

His thinness is outmatched by his height, quickness and even ability to block. After posting a 4.45 forty and 35 1/2-inch vertical back in February, his stock rose, yet the Jets were able to land him in the seventh round.

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Maybe it was his past injuries that shied away teams pre-Combine.

Peake has had history with bad knees, and even a torn ACL back in 2013.

And after coming off a senior year for the Tigers in which he reeled in 50 receptions, five of which went for touchdowns, for 716 yards in 14 games, teams were still hesitant on how far he can take his game further.

Rest assured, a healthy Peake can do damage. General manager Mike Maccagnan told WFAN Radio the following:

Sometimes, you think some of those guys [taken late in the draft] may be more of the developmental, practice roster type guys. We think he has a chance to come in and compete for a roster spot.

The confidence around Peake is certainly there. And as a fan, it’s good to be able to hold Maccagnan’s word accountable. Peake has potential to even start some games this upcoming season, or at the least, see significant playing time.

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey notoriously runs three and four wide receiver sets, so Peake certainly can lineup with the likes of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. It might mean he takes reps from guys like Quincy Enunwa, Kenbrell Thompkins, and especially second-year Devin Smith, who is coming off a torn ACL but he could surprise many with what he brings to the table.

With organized team activities set to begin soon, Peake has his rookie contract signed; he’s ready to get going and prove his worth. In fact, last week at rookie mini camp, he was hauling in deep passes from fellow rookie, quarterback Christian Hackenberg.

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Time will tell which quarterback will be starting for the Jets come Week 1, but whoever he is, might just have another key target in Peake. Said to actually be the Jets best draft pick this year, the team and fans are hoping he can become one of the overall steals in the wide receiver class of 2016.

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