Eyebrows raised when both NFL free agency and the NFL Draft past and the Tennessee Titans still didn’t have a new wide receiver on the roster. Hell, even guys like Mel Kiper, Jr. had the Titans selecting a receiver early in the draft. But, all along, I had a feeling that the Titans would be content with the reliability of Rishard Matthews, the potential of Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor, and the hope for Tajae Sharpe to return to 2016 preseason form. Plus, they still have Delanie Walker, and they added Dion Lewis in free agency, both of whom stand to help the passing game. That turned out to be the case, but the team also brought in a host of undrafted free agents. One of those guys is starting to stand out: former Cal receiver Jordan Veasy.
Veasy tallied 63 receptions for 797 receiving yards and nine touchdowns from 2016-17 as a Golden Bear. Not exactly eye-popping production, but that’s pretty solid production in a college football landscape where receivers don’t always dominate the way they used to. But, it’s Veasy’s potential that got him a deal with the Titans. The dude is 6’3″, 221 lbs. He has the NFL body, and per the living legend Jim Wyatt, he’s using it to his advantage.
From Jim Wyatt’s OTA observations:
Receiver Jordan Veasy
continues to make himself known in practices. Veasy went up high in the end zone to haul in a pass thrown by Mariota. The ball popped out when Veasy landed hard on the ground, but the athletic play showed off his athleticism and playmaking ability.
That’s what you want to hear about a 6’3″, 221-pounder. Sure, it’d be nice for him to hold onto it, but that’s not something to be worried about at this stage in the offseason. You want a guy that can “climb the ladder” and make contested catches. Veasy is big, athletic, and we’ve seen a couple of clips of him in action from Wyatt and Rhett Bryan as well:
UDFA WR Jordan Veasy in slo-mo individual drills shows just how slick the field was this am after all of the rain we’ve had lately. Keep an eye on Veasy who’s 6’3” 221lbs. #Titans pic.twitter.com/MaQza8lHMo
— Rhett Bryan (@rhettbtennessee) May 31, 2018
.@TheJordanVeasy makes a catch in today’s @Titans OTA pic.twitter.com/PMlrsTEGfu
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) June 5, 2018
Yeah, the kid looks good. Fluid, in control, and steady. That’s a big body – not sure if that was Blaine Gabbert or Luke Falk tossing the ball in Wyatt’s clip, but in game action, you want it out in front of Veasy so he can catch it in stride. Give him an opportunity to make a play. But, like I said earlier…it’s June. It’s early. That’s neither here nor there, really, and Veasy does a nice job of coming back to the ball to secure it anyway.
The hope is he gets into the rotation and can be a productive part of it. But, it’s a lot of pressure to put on an undrafted free agent to think he’s going to come in and steal a starting job. Still, every year, it seems like there’s a guy during OTAs, training camp, or the preseason that the Titans fan base becomes infatuated with. Last year, I can remember Khalfani Muhammad being all the rage. He was a steal late in the draft and was just what the backfield was missing! Ultimately, a guy named David Fluellen (#FluSeason!!!!) had something to say about that. I can remember Sharpe’s meteoric 2016 training camp, and even recently wrote about Chris Henry, too. There’s a longstanding history, and maybe it’s not reserved strictly for Titans fans, of “Summer guys.”
I thought we were all aboard the Akrum Wadley train in 2018, but now it looks like we aren’t. Veasy continues to show out and he’s poised to become the training camp darling of the Titans fan base this preseason. Let’s hope he amounts to much more than that, though.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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