What Experts Said About Jarrett When He Was Drafted

The Eagles decided earlier today that it was time to cut ties with Jaiquawn Jarrett.

Back in 2011, they took the safety out of Temple with the 22nd pick in the second round. Looking back at the selection, my recollection was that many thought the Eagles might have drafted him a little early, but most believed he was a good prospect.

The beauty of the Internet is that we can go back and look things up. Below is a look at what people said about Jarrett when the Eagles took him.

ESPN.com’s Todd McShay thought Jarrett was the Eagles’ best selection in the 2011 draft:

I believe Jarrett will be a good starter in the NFL, and with Quintin Mikell a free agent, Jarrett will ideally step in right away. He’s not big, but he’s tough, and Jarrett is one of the more underrated defensive backs in the 2011 class.

Mike Mayock of NFL Network loved Jarrett’s temperament:

The Eagles need a nasty guy up front, and Watkins is a nasty guy. I have to say the same thing about Philly’s second-round pick, safety Jaiquawn Jarrett out of Temple — I love his temperament. He’s a very good tackler and will compliment 2010 second-round pick Nate Allen back there. So you’ll have Allen at free safety, Jarrett at strong safety — both of them exciting young safeties picked in the second round of the last two drafts.

Per Rotoworld, Greg Cosell of NFL Films really liked Jarrett:

“I really, really like this kid,” says Cosell. “I think if you could get him in the third round, he’d be a terrific pick. I think he’s only going to get better and better and better. He’s very athletic. He’s one of the best safeties I’ve watched on film. … He played very physically.”

ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper had Jarrett tied for his third overall safety prospect and pegged him as a second-round pick.

Evan Silva of NBCSports.com liked Jarrett as a prospect:

When you have 11 draft picks, you typically come out looking pretty good. The Eagles did a thorough job from top to bottom, using their top 2-3 selections on day-one starters. Danny Watkins was the nastiest offensive lineman available, and Jaiquawn Jarrett is a ballhawk with tremendous physicality.

Kerry Byrne of SI.com liked the Jarrett pick:

What I liked: The tag-team combo of Jaiquawn Jarrett (second round) and Curtis Marsh (third round) in the secondary. Philly struggled badly at time in the defensive backfield, as evidenced by the 31 touchdown passes allowed. Only Houston and Dallas, two of the league’s most incompetent defenses, surrendered more TD passes (33 each). So the Eagles needed help in the secondary and got it in Jarrett, a run-stopping safety, and Marsh, an athletic cover corner.

Scouts, Inc. on Jarrett:

Pros: Shows very good overall recognition skills. Reads keys and is disciplined. Is tough and fills hard for an undersized S. Does a good job of breaking down, wrapping up and finishing as a tackler. Does a good job of avoiding blocks when cheated up near the line of scrimmage.

Cons: Gets in position to make a play on the ball but doesn’t always finish. Will mis-time some jumps and hands are questionable. Lacks elite playmaking ability in this area.

As you can see, a lot of analysts really liked Jarrett, and so did Howie Roseman, Andy Reid and the Eagles. But things didn’t work out for him in Philadelphia. And now Jarrett begins the next phase of his career, one that will focus on finding a job somewhere in the league.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.