Did Jerry Jeudy live up to expectations his first year with the Broncos?

In John Elway’s last draft as the general manager of the Denver Broncos, he landed his No. 1 target with the 15th-overall pick by drafting Jerry Jeudy.

The precise route-runner from Alabama drew praise from the start of training camp, even blowing away his veteran teammates.

“He can get in and out of his breaks better than anyone I’ve ever seen before,” Kareem Jackson said in camp.

The excitement and hype for Jeudy was certainly real entering his rookie season in the NFL. Was he able to live up to the incredibly high expectations?

Expectations entering the season: 63 receptions; 950 yards; 8 touchdowns; 16-game starter

Actual output in 2020: 52 receptions; 856 yards; 3 touchdowns; 16.5 yards per reception

Did he live up to expectations? Almost

At times throughout his rookie season, Jerry Jeudy looked like an incredible first-round pick. Other times, the rookie looked, well, like a rookie making the huge transition from college to the NFL.

In fact, this was displayed in the final two weeks to close out the season. In Week 16, Jeudy’s drop struggles were on full display as he dropped a season-high five passes against the Chargers including a potential go-ahead touchdown.

Vic Fangio challenged the 21-year old immediately following the game by stating how he bounced back could very well be a defining moment in his career.

If Fangio was correct about it being a defining moment, then the Broncos are in for a pretty darn good career from Jeudy. In Week 17, Jeudy had quite the end to his rookie season as he had five catches for 140 yards and a touchdown, including the longest touchdown catch in the NFL in 2020 when Jeudy went 92 yards to the house.

The other 14 games, Jeudy flashed some of that same potential and also had similar struggles with drops.

It’s hard to be disappointed with Jeudy’s stat line as 850 receiving yards is very impressive for a rookie receiver. However, his 46 percent catch rate—the third-worst in the NFL—was disappointing, although not all entirely his fault.

In the first nine games of the season, Jeudy was on pace for a 60-catch season for 981 yards. The next six weeks, before his monster game to end the season, Jeudy struggled, potentially hitting the rookie wall.

Yet, despite the drops throughout the year, there’s still plenty of optimism, hope and excitement surrounding what type of receiver and playmaker Jerry Jeudy could be next year and moving forward.

Early expectations for 2021 should be a 1,000-yard season.