Allen Hurns burst onto the scene in 2014, going from an underrated and undrafted rookie to the leading receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
2014 was a big year for Allen Hurns and if he wants to top it, then he’ll have to get better.
For my money, Hurns is the most exciting wide receiver on the Jags roster. I love Allen Robinson and think he’ll be the top wide receiver for the team going forward, but there’s something about the way Hurns plays the position that adds a level of excitement to each play. Whether it’s boggling far too many catches, outmuscling a defender, or launching himself in the air to get a high ball, Hurns provided more exciting moments than anybody else in 2014.
That said, Hurns has a lot to work on. He was a rookie last season and he was far from consistent. Some games he would blow up and then disappear for the rest of the game. In other games he would be seemingly nonexistent. His 677 yards and six touchdowns led the team, but he could have had so many more if he could keep his hands on the ball and be a consistent threat.
With that in mind, we have four questions for Allen Hurns heading into 2015.
May 16, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns (88) catches a pass during rookie minicamp at Florida Blue Health and Wellness Practice Fields. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
1) Can Allen Hurns be consistent?
We’ve already touched on this a bit above, but it’s worth hammering on for Hurns. While he can certainly be a big play threat, he is far from consistent.
Tied with departed veteran receiver Cecil Shorts for the team lead in dropped passes with seven, Hurns needs to keep his hands on the ball and complete the catch. Sometimes it seemed like he was focusing too much on getting his legs going before he secured the catch and came down with it. One particular bungle saw him bobbling the ball while running forward for a few yards on a massive gain before ultimately dropping the ball.
We can’t keep that happening.
In only four games last season did Hurns catch above 50% of passes targeted toward him. While not all balls are catchable, that number needs to climb up if Hurns can wants to be a consistent threat for the passing attack. In three other games he caught exactly 50% of his targets, but we’d still like to see that number climb in 2015.
His scoring was also inconsistent. While his six touchdowns did lead the team, four of those scores game in two games. Week 1 and Week 9 both saw Hurns go for two touchdowns and over 100 yards (also his only 100 yard games). Between those two games he had just one other touchdown (a 63 yard bomb in a blowout against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. It was his only catch that game).
With just four scoring games out of 16 played, Hurns could certainly improve. His opportunities to score may increase with an improved Jaguars offense in 2015. While Julius Thomas figures to be a prime target along with Allen Robinson, there should be a lot less pressure on Hurns and he may be able to slip open for some more scores on a more regular basis.
Next: Can Allen Hurns put up big plays?
Sep 21, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns (88) runs to the end zone on his 63-yard reception against the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter at EverBank Field. The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 44-17. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
2) Will Allen Hurns still be a big play threat?
Part of Allen Hurns’ success last season was his big play ability. He had four games with a long catch of 40 yards or more.
Unfortunately for Hurns and the Jacksonville Jaguars, after Week 9, those big plays seemed to disappear. From Week 10 onward, Hurns never had a catch longer than 27 yards. In fact, he only had one game with a catch longer than 20 yards (Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens).
In my mind, Hurns is still that big play receiver the Jags have always wanted. That doesn’t seem to be the case based on the numbers, though.
Part of Hurns’ early success can be chalked up to the opposition having no tape on him when he came into the league. An undrafted free agent whose only ability flashed during the preseason against backup defenses, Hurns was able to surprise earlier in the 2014 season. Week 1 was particularly nice with one of the best debuts by a wide receiver ever.
Now with 16 games of tape on the young receiver, can he still beat out opposing defenses?
Once again, this will largely come down to how well the other receiving targets play for the Jaguars. Julius Thomas and Allen Robinson will command attention and if Marqise Lee can also step up, then Hurns should be able to find room to make a few more big plays.
Hurns will no longer be the prime big play threat for the Jaguars, now he will be one quality receiver among many. He’ll have to prove he can hang onto the ball (he missed a few big play chances last season because of inconsistent hands), but he should certainly have the opportunities in 2015.
Next: How much playing time will Hurns have?
Sep 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns (88) reaches over the goal line on a 34-yard touchdown catch against Philadelphia Eagles strong safety Nate Allen (29) in the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
3) How much playing time will Allen Hurns have?
Perhaps the most interesting thing to watch for the Jacksonville Jaguars receivers will be the amount of playing time each will have. With injuries to Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns managed to find himself starting in many more games than most observers would have originally anticipated.
Hurns’ ability to simply appear in 16 games was a major advantage for him as his fellow receivers fell to injury with one other receiver out almost every week. If Lee and Robinson can stay healthy, then where does Hurns fall in the lineup? Can Lee surpass him on the depth chart?
While I think Hurns has big play ability that is unique among the young Jags receivers (Robinson may change that), if he has consistency issues again and the others develop faster than him, then he may find himself riding the bench.
It will be interesting to see how the Jags receivers shake out for the 2015 season. While I don’t see Hurns being surpassed by Lee, it is certainly within the realm of possibility. If Hurns can stay healthy for the full season, however, then he will once again have a leg up on his rival receivers.
Next: Will Hurns mature as a receiver?
Nov 2, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns (88) makes a catch for a touchdown against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall (29) during the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 33-23. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
4) Can Allen Hurns mature as a receiver?
Allen Hurns is not expected to be the number one receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars. That role will fall to Allen Robinson. Robinson will lead the group and has the prototypical tools to be that X receiver for the Jaguars. In that regard, it will fall to Robinson to mature more as a receiver.
But that doesn’t mean that Hurns isn’t expected to mature. Whether he does or not could dictate how well the Jaguars passing attack performs.
The fact of the matter is that the Jaguars receivers are an immature group. As professionals and as athletes, the receivers need to come together and develop. Hurns is no exception. He will have to prove he is willing to buckle down and work to be the best receiver he can possibly be in an offense struggling to get its feet beneath it.
So far, it seems that Hurns is taking the steps to mature. Starting by attending Larry Fitzgerald’s receiving camp (along with Robinson), Hurns may be taking his big play role with the Jaguars seriously. We’ll have to see how training camp and the preseason play out, but right now I am confident that Hurns will take steps to mature as a receiver this offseason.
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