It’s easy for a player to look smooth on the basketball court. It’s much harder for a player to look smooth on the gridiron.
In Jalen Moreno-Cropper’s case, though, he doesn’t struggle with that. Cropper makes his movements and routes look seamless.
The former Fresno State receiver doesn’t always necessarily put his foot in the ground and make solid breaks on his routes. Still, he’s able to get open with the help of his fluid strides that he still makes look crisp. His vision and feel for the vacant spots against both man and zone coverage allow him to separate himself. It almost seems like he doesn’t need to rely on conventional route running to do damage to a defense. Still, his route running is indeed above average.
However, none of these may be his biggest strength.
If there’s one thing to take away from Cropper’s tape and time as a Bulldog, it’s his ability to pick up yards after the catch. This was a big reason why he finished the season with 1,093 yards and averaged 13.0 yards per reception. He also added 84 catches and five touchdowns. The 84 receptions ranked 12th in the country.
While Cropper remains smooth with his ability to get open, he has shown excellent release off the line of scrimmage, giving him an advantage early in a play. From there, he can leave a DB guessing:
Cropper has soft hands, doesn’t seem fazed by catching the ball in traffic, and needs just a limited amount of space to make a play after getting the ball. This is just one of the reasons he was Jake Haener’s No. 1 guy the past couple of seasons.
Of course, being the favorite target of a quarterback like Haener will almost always certainly lead to good things, but Cropper would have made things easier for any QB. In fact, when Haener suffered an ankle injury and missed just over a month last season, Cropper never faltered. Instead, he showed he was still a threat and posted a nine-catch, 158-yard outing that included a touchdown. It was his second-best stat line of the season.
At 6-foot, 180 pounds, Cropper will more than likely be a guy that plays in the slot. This would bode well for him and his strengths by giving him the opportunity to catch quick passes and be used in jet sweep scenarios to make the most of his ability to do damage out in space.
Think the Kansas City Chiefs utilizing Kadarius Toney in a way that the New York Giants never really found success doing. And like Toney, Cropper can return punts and get away from multiple guys at once with his vision and his instincts.
It’d be tough to determine where Cropper could land in the draft, especially since he’s projected to be a fourth or fifth-round selection.
The Parlier, California, product stayed close to home to play for Fresno. Maybe he still won’t have to travel too far from home and could land on a team like the Los Angeles Rams, who could use some depth at wideout entering next season. Or maybe Cropper could join fellow Bulldog alum Davante Adams in Las Vegas. The Raiders could certainly use some sort of help alongside Adams and Hunter Renfrow, and Cropper could thrive in a No. 3 or 4 receiver role.
Whatever plays out for Cropper and if the trends are in his favor, he’ll only continue to progress.
In his four seasons at Fresno, he seemed to take a big step forward each year.
Now, he’ll look to take that next step and become a productive guy in the league.
