OVERVIEW

One of the best playmakers in the collegiate ranks, Dwayne Jarrett has been very good at using his size to create mismatches vs. the smaller cornerbacks the Trojans have faced. While he lacks blazing speed, Dwayne Jarrett has garnered most of his success because of his field awareness, size and timing his leaps to get to the ball at its high point.

Even though he opted to test his wares in the pro ranks after only three seasons at USC, he finished his career as the Pac-10 Conference's all-time leader with 41 touchdown catches and as the school's career record holder with 216 receptions.

Before attending Southern California, Dwayne Jarrett was a 2003 Parade, SuperPrep and PrepStar All-American selection. He added SuperPrep Elite 50, PrepStar Top 100 Dream Team, SuperPrep All-Northeast Offensive MVP, PrepStar All-East and New Jersey Offensive Player of the Year honors as a senior wide receiver and defensive back at New Brunswick High School.

Dwayne Jarrett scored 26 touchdowns (including all three in New Brunswick's 21-14 state title victory), with five of the scores coming on his 15 punt returns (for a 48.0-yard average) in 2003. As a junior in 2002, he had 40 receptions for 956 yards (23.9 avg.) with 17 touchdowns on offense and recorded 24 tackles with six interceptions on defense. He also played basketball at New Brunswick.

He enrolled at Southern California in 2004, making an immediate impact. Dwayne Jarrett earned Freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association, The Sporting News, College Football News and Rivals.com. He was also an All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention and a member of The Sporting News Freshman All-Pac-10 first team. Dwayne Jarrett appeared in 13 games, taking over as the starting split end in the final eight contests. He caught 55 passes for 849 yards (15.4 avg.) and 13 touchdowns (fifth-most scores in a season by a Trojans receiver).

Dwayne Jarrett was one of three finalists for the 2005 Biletnikoff Award (nation's top receiver). He won the Touchdown Club of Columbus' Wide Receiver of the Year Award and was named to The Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers, Walter Camp, The Sporting News, The NFL Draft Report, Sports Illustrated and College Football News All-American first teams. He joined Mike Williams as the only USC sophomore wide receivers to win All-American honors.

That season, he ranked 12th nationally in receptions (7.0 per game, second in Pac-10) and 13th in receiving yards (98.0 per game, fourth in Pac-10). His 91 catches were good for third on USC's single-season record list. His 16 touchdown catches were the most in the nation in 2005 and put him third on the Pac-10 single-season record chart (tying Williams' USC season record). He had a touchdown catch in nine different games and five 100-yard receiving games. With 1,274 receiving yards, he was the Trojans' ninth receiver to break the 1,000-yard barrier in a season.

Dwayne Jarrett was hampered by injury problems that began in fall camp in 2006. A quadriceps strain in mid-August would linger throughout the early stages of the season. He suffered a left shoulder separation vs. Arizona that forced him to miss one game and see limited action in two others. He later suffered a concussion on a 25-yard touchdown catch against California. Still, he earned The Associated Press and Walter Camp All-American first-team accolades, making him USC's first-ever two-time All-American first-team wide receiver. Dwayne Jarrett finished the season with 11 starts in 12 games, grabbing 70 passes for 1,015 yards (14.5 avg.) and 12 touchdowns.

In 38 games at Southern California, Dwayne Jarrett started 31 times. He set the school career record with 216 receptions and the Pac-10 Conference all-time mark with 41 touchdown catches, gaining 3,138 yards (14.5 avg.), joining Johnnie Morton (3,201) and Kareem Kelly (3,104) as the only players in school history to gain more than 3,000 receiving yards in a career.

ANALYSIS
Positives: Has long arms and legs with a frame that can carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk … Plays with only adequate quickness, but shows very good ball concentration and aggressiveness going after the ball … Has very good timing and leaping ability to get to the ball at its high point … Needs to add more bulk and upper body power to run through the press, but once he gets into his route, he is able to build his acceleration nicely … Has quick hands and the ability to uncover working underneath … Very consistent extending for the ball and builds to top acceleration nicely if he is able to beat the press … Has only adequate timed speed, but does a fine job of tracking the ball in flight and has outstanding ball adjustment skills … Uses his tall frame to create mismatches vs. the smaller defenders competing for the jump balls and is never affected by traffic in his quest to get under the pass … Not the fastest you will find on linear routes, but shows good cutting agility to separate after the catch … It is rare to see Dwayne Jarrett glide out of his breaks like most bigger receivers tend to do … With Dwayne Jarrett's low pad level and ability to open his hips, he is very effective at getting in and out of his breaks without having to throttle down … Does a good job going deep and is alert to pocket pressure, making a conscious effort to come back for the ball … Quite effective at keeping his feet in bounds along the sideline … Excels at making the tough catch inside the red zone, especially on corner and fade routes … Might not be able to overpower a defender going through the seams, but he has the flexibility to turn to the off-target balls and catch outside his frame … Finds the path of the ball quickly to settle underneath it, compensating for a lack of timed speed … The thing you see on film is his ability to reach and snatch the ball over a defender's head … Has only adequate speed and acceleration, but he has the loose hips to avoid tackles and maintain balance through his running stride … Good at taking a shallow crossing pass into big yardage when he makes a conscious effort to escape rather than try to run over the defender … Uses his hands well to shade, mirror and control edge rushers on contact and won't hesitate to get physical … Good position blocker in attempts to seal off and takes good angles to deliver a solid cut block vs. second level defenders.

Negatives: Lacks the timed speed to get down field in a hurry, but has the body control and ability to catch outside his frame to adjust and compete for the ball in flight … Has adequate ability to retain plays, but does need several reps … Alert to coverages, but will get a little sloppy and run right into spots at times … Consistently works back to the ball and while he can adjust on the move, he is not going to be the type who can handle multiple position assignments … Was almost ruled ineligible in June for violating NCAA rules by not paying enough rent for the apartment he shared with former Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart … There is a lot of the brash Keyshawn Johnson and the flippant Mike Williams attitude in this kid … Plays hard until the whistle, but will look lackadaisical at times and goes through the motions in practice and needs some structure there … While he will compete for the ball in a crowd, he will struggle vs. strong press coverage and gets frustrated at times when he can't separate from the speedier cornerbacks … Lacks the overall strength to defeat a strong jam and doesn't demonstrate the blazing speed or suddenness getting into his routes … Looks sluggish with his burst off the snap and relies more on his size mismatches than speed to get under the ball … A long strider rather than a receiver who takes short, quick steps … When he tries to lower his shoulder to run over a defensive back, that is when he gets into trouble, as he doesn't have the brute strength to break tackles.

Compares To: Keyshawn Johnson of the Carolina Panthers … While his work ethic and lack of speed remind some of Detroit's Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett's ability on fade and corner routes and timing on his leaps for the jump ball rival that of another former USC receiver … Dwayne Jarrett is much better at keeping his feet in bounds than Johnson, and he has some of the more natural hands you will find out there … However, he needs to show that he is maturing off the field and must improve his overall strength and hand usage, as he will struggle vs. physical press coverage.

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