Jeff Janis’ third training camp is underway. He needs to be a starting receiver for the Green Bay Packers THIS YEAR.
Why? Because he has the potential to be not just a star, but a superstar in the NFL.
Here’s the truth. Janis has the most all-around athleticism of any wide receiver doing the full set of NFL combine tests since the 1990s.
I’ve gone back and examined combine scores — not pro day scores, which are notoriously unreliable — of 589 wide receivers, going back to 1999.
I rated players mostly by using percentiles, rather than raw scores, from playerprofiler.com data. For wide receivers, this source has percentile rankings for: Speed (height-adjusted 40-yard dash); Burst (vertical and long jump scores combined); Agility (3-cone drill and 20-yard short shuttle times combined); and Catch Radius (five components combined). The first four columns below are wide receiver percentile numbers.
To these I’ve added a Strength score (No. of 225-pound bench presses) and an Acceleration score (10-yd split time).
Let’s name names. Of 589 players I examined going back to 1999, the top five are as follows.
Speed | Burst | Agility | Catch | Strength | Acceleration | |
Jeff Janis (2014) | 96 | 72 | 97 | 99 | 20 | 1.47 |
Julio Jones (2001) | 97 | 93 | 80 | 98 | 17 | 1.53 |
Vincent Jackson (2005) | 97 | 88 | 87 | 99 | 23 | 1.57 |
Andre Johnson (2003) | 97 | 91 | 80 | 96 | 17 | – |
Javon Walker (2003) | 97 | 86 | 87 | 97 | 18 | 1.53 |
The stat that will surprise many is not the speed of Janis, but his agility percentile. Other tall players just don’t score in the 90s on the agility tests.
As for his 99 percentile catch radius, Janis’ Hail Mary catch in Arizona was a demonstration of that skill. He can track down anything near him.
The other four top athletes were all first-round draft choices. Johnson and Jones are likely future Hall of Famers. Jackson is a three-time Pro Bowler. Walker (a Packer from 2002-05) had a career cut short by injury and ego.
Janis doesn’t merely have starter potential, his unmatched athleticism gives him superstar potential.
Can Janis fail despite his athleticism?
Anything’s possible, but no other wide receiver with near his athleticism has failed, other than due to serious injury.
I’ve rated 18 others as next in line to, but well below, the above five all-around athletes. Only one — Chaz Schilens — got a fair chance and failed to become a steady NFL starter, but he also had serious injuries two years in a row.
Others on the second-tier list include recognizable names such as Torrey Smith (9), Odell Beckham Jr. (12), Emmanuel Sanders (14), Mike Wallace (21), and Michael Floyd (23). Some others in the top 23 are young NFL players headed toward stardom, such the Indianapolis Colts Donte Moncrief.
The 589 players examined don’t include a few big names, such as Calvin Johnson and Chris Chambers, because they passed on taking some of the tests – presumably knowing they would score poorly on them. Prior to 1999, others who passed up certain tests include prima donnas Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Keyshawn Johnson.
If you think I missed anyone, please supply me the name.
I’ve named the names, now it’s time for Janis to kick ass.
Mike McCarthy, why have you not given this fabulously gifted athlete a fair chance as a wide receiver?
Coach, you’ve given Davante Adams 1,501 offensive snaps in two years, but you won’t put Janis in unless he’s the last healthy wide receiver left on the bench. Hell, in 2014, you didn’t even suit him up for all but three games.
Play the man!