Can Dede Westbrook help the Jacksonville Jaguars win right now?

New Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dede Westbrook must prove himself as a professional to help the team win immediately.

Coming to the NFL after a stellar career at Oklahoma, Dede Westbrook brings plenty of talent with him to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Biletnikoff Award he won in 2016 proves he is the best receiver in college football.

But Westbrook also brings plenty of baggage with him, too. The two domestic violence complaints are plenty of proof of that.

Torn between ability and baggage, Westbrook fell to the Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. It was a steal, talent wise. It may also prove to be a distraction.

Not long after the draft was in the books, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union wrote a compelling piece titled “Draft Westbrook shows how badly Jaguars want to win.” The Jaguars were forced to weigh the good and the bad with Westbrook before making their decision. Writes Frenette:

"…none of [Westbrook’s] questionable past can be dismissed as minor red flags. And it’s clear that once Westbrook’s draft stock fell into the fourth round, the Jaguars justified to themselves that the transcendent talent of a Biletnikoff award winner and his run-after-the-catch skills were too good to pass up."

The real question does not just revolve around the morals of the selection, however. It also rests in fit.

Westbrook brings dynamic skills as a possible returner to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rashad Greene has been electric at times and the only returner of note since Maurice Jones-Drew‘s early years, but he will have stiff competition in Westbrook.

Westbrook’s receiving skills are also quite impressive. But, like with Greene as a returner, the receiving position has some talent there. Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Marqise Lee are a formidable top-three at the position and it may be difficult for Westbrook to get looks. Last year, receivers behind the top-three caught just 48 passes (counting Neal Sterling‘s 12 in the wide receiver count rather than tight end). Bryan Walters led that group as a dependable option.

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In order to truly help the Jaguars win now, which is what the Westbrook selection indicates, he will need to be as dependable as Walters and more electric with the ball in his hands while also being a high-producing return man. That’s a tall task for any player jumping from the collegiate ranks to the pros.

Assuming there is at least some growing pains for Westbrook, don’t count on him being a major contributor right away. He may come on later in the season, but he has a lot to overcome proving his value and ability to be a professional.

Then, maybe, we’ll be able to talk about Westbrook with the same fondness as Nate Burleson does.

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