Special Speed: Why the Jaguars Drafted Chris Claybroooks
Not a lot of football players possess the game-breaking speed that new Jacksonville Jaguars kick returner/cornerback Chris Claybrooks has in his arsenal. When he finds a sliver of space and can turn it loose, he looks like a bonafide track star.
That is why the Jaguars selected him with their final pick of last month's 2020 NFL Draft, despite having picked two cornerbacks before him earlier in the draft. While he will work on his cornerback skills, it is his rare speed and the potential impact on special teams that caught the Jaguars' eyes and made him to No. 223 overall pick.
“I hope so because that's why we drafted him," Jaguars general manager said following the draft when asked if he thought Claybrooks has return potential.
"That's his number one job is to come in here and be our kick returner first and foremost, hopefully earn a spot as a corner, then work on some of the punt returns skills. That's his forte."
A former wide receiver and return specialist at the junior college level, Claybrooks converted to cornerback in his first year at Memphis in 2018. In 2019, Claybrooks took over return duties for Memphis, returning 11 kicks for 338 yards (30.7 average) and one dazzling touchdown.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, have been searching for a spark at kick returner for years. The last time the Jaguars scored on a kick return was when Marqise Lee returned one for 100 yards against the Houston Texans in Week 14 in 2016. Since then, the Jaguars have had little success at kick returner, with 2019 return man Michael Walker fumbling away his opportunity last season.
"Field position is a thing we thought about a lot in the offseason, Coach Marrone a big advocate of special teams and gaining field position and having a guy back there," Caldwell said. "He has the skills to do it and we feel really good about it.”
The most obvious trait Claybrooks can bring to the Jaguars' return game is open-field speed which is hard for any player to match. While he is still raw as a cornerback, he has plenty of athleticism to still make an impact: simply get the ball in his hands.
Claybrooks didn't run at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he did run a 40-yard dash on April 11, sending the video of his run to all 32 teams. The time he says was recorded? 4.25 seconds.
Combine this speed with a 2018 season at Memphis in which he learned from eventual draft pick Tony Pollard, and Claybrooks is the ideal special teams prospect to take a risk on.
“I have been returning kicks all my life – in high school, JUCO and Memphis. I was behind Tony Pollard, one of the best to ever do it at Memphis. I learned tips from him and he coached me up," Claybrooks said. "I am going to turn it loose with the Jaguars – my speed, my motor, never giving up – and I’m a playmaker. Whatever they need me to be, I can do it and I will make plays and make an impact.”
Claybrooks' primary role, especially early on, will be as a kick returner and eventually punt returner. But he will still have time to hone his craft on defense under secondary coach Tim Walton. Without having that potential on defense, there is a fair chance Claybrooks wouldn't have the opportunity to impact the Jaguars' special teams unit.
For that, Claybrooks said he can thank the Memphis staff that saw the long-term vision with his talent.
“When I got there, they saw my speed. I was playing wide receiver, but then they switched me to DB. He told me, ‘You are going to hate me right now, but you are going to thank me later on.’ Shout out to them for making that move on me. It has been awesome."
