Jakobi Meyers Has "Natural Feel" at the Wide Receiver Position
NC State needed a quarterback in the 2015 recruiting class after commit Austin King switched to Indiana, and late in the process the Wolfpack was able to flip Jakobi Meyers from Kent State.
A two-star recruit, few knew of Meyers (who also received late attention from Florida), but the Wolfpack was impressed with his arm talent and natural athleticism.
Meyers flashed those skills early in his career, but it was evident early on that Ryan Finley would have a secure hold on the quarterback position, a turn of events which left Meyers on the sidelines. However, the NC State coaches felt he could potentially help at wide receiver; thus, in the middle of the 2016 season they took an extended look at the redshirt freshman.
"We had some major injuries going on, and he wasn't getting reps at quarterback," Dave Doeren stated earlier this week. "It was almost on the field, 'can you do it today?' After that it was a sit-down... 'what do you think?' We talked through the whole thing with him.
I know it was more of a need for the football team and a way to get him on the field. It kind of took off once we saw his skillset."
That skillset apparently flashed right away, but even then, Doeren wasn't convinced Meyers would want to stick at wideout.
"After the first day I knew he could be really good," Doeren said. "I didn't know if he'd buy in to being really good. His skillset, for day one never going through a drill and to watch him run routes and flip DB's hips around and catch the football. You knew that he could do it.
"He's made the conscious choice to become great at that position. It's taken him time to grow up, but you could see it right away with his skillset."
2017 was a breakout season for Meyers.
He totaled 63 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns in his first full season at the position, and he closed out the year strong, totaling 34 catches for 387 yards in NC State’s final five games. Meyers also hauled in two touchdowns during that span, including one in the Wolfpack’s Sun Bowl win over Arizona State.
Offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz has also been impressed with the development of Meyers.
"It’s night and day," Drinkwitz said of the redshirt junior's improvement. "Coach McDonald has done an unbelievable job transitioning him from an athlete who was just running around to a wide receiver.
"Two years ago he couldn’t get off press coverage and now if you press him he’s going to run by you on a fade route. He’s done a really good job of transitioning and understanding footwork and knowing when to be open and how to do that."
Lining up primarily in the slot, Meyers excels at exploiting multiple coverages. Whether it is man coverage from a linebacker, press coverage from a nickel, or even zone, Meyers seems comfortable and able to consistently get open.
"Jakobi has a knack for where a soft spot in the zone is or where the strike point is, where he needs to be open on this route concept because he understands the quarterback's progression and timing," said Drinkwitz. "If he knows that he’s number two in the progression he’s got time to work his release and get to that spot and be open. The quarterback can put it anywhere in the vicinity because he knows the window that Jakobi is going to be open.
"It’s a feel thing. That’s probably his greatest strength. Jakobi has great short-area quickness, but he also has a natural feel for when to be open and what time to be open. The other guys are unbelievable football players, too; they’re just different and that’s what makes them complementary."
Meyers finished among the top 10 in the ACC in receptions last season, and with Jaylen Samuels now in the NFL, that could be additional slot targets for him. However, Drinkwitz believes the departure of Samuels doesn't put any addtional pressure on Meyers to post huge numbers from the slot.
"I don’t think anybody has to step up, but whoever is in that spot has to produce," Drinkwitz said "We run a system offense and whoever is in that spot is going to get the football.
"It’s not necessarily ‘Now you have to do more because this guy isn’t here.’ Whoever is in the game we trust to make plays. Jaysam and Nyheim just aren’t going to get the balls this year."