Atlanta Falcons Preseason: 3 Takeaways vs Jaguars
By Derek Snyder
2. Dede Westbrook looked like an absolute stud
While I understand that there aren’t too many Jacksonville Jaguars fans out there, every football fan needs to be paying attention to the career of Dede Westbrook. Coming out of Oklahoma, Westbrook was one of the best receivers in Sooners’ history, as he was invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in 2016.
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He totaled 80 receptions for 1,524 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns for OU in 2016, which is absurd production.
The craziest thing to know about the rookie is that Jacksonville didn’t draft him until the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Yes, he had some baggage coming into the offseason, but that hasn’t stopped teams from taking chances on guys before. I truly believe that Westbrook may have been the steal of this offseason’s draft.
Coming into Thursday night against Atlanta, Westbrook didn’t need to prove himself to make the team, but a great performance could skyrocket him into more playing time with the first-team. That being said, it was clear from the start who the Jags wanted the football to go to, which is exactly why Westbrook was my player of the game.
Westbrook finished the night with si receptions for 115 reciting yards and one touchdown. Not to mention, his score came on a 43-yard catch and run. Needless to say, Jacksonville’s rookie wide receiver put on a how for everyone to watch on Thursday night and is a player you need to watch as the regular season gets going next weekend.