A look at how Shedrick Jackson could improve for Auburn football in 2022

Auburn wide receiver Shedrick Jackson announced that he would return to Auburn for the 2022 season.

Shedrick Jackson will be the leader among the wide receivers throughout the offseason and will be the favorite to be the number one receiver in this passing attack unless changes happen to the roster. 

Jackson was second on the team in catches and receiving yards in 2021. Kobe Hudson, who has entered the transfer portal and committed to UCF, led in both categories last season. Jackson tallied 40 catches for 527 yards. His lone touchdown was the one that sealed the comeback against Georgia State last season. 

His return to Auburn will give him one last season to build on those stats and look to be Auburn's key outside threat in the passing game. 

What Jackson did well

Looking at some of the analytics, Jackson was his best when he was catching balls in the middle of the field. Between the numbers, Jackson was targeted 36 times in 2021. He hauled in 24 of those passes for 353 yards through the air. 

He found comfort with in-breaking routes last season. He found success in the middle of the field despite hardly ever starting the play there. 

He took 655 snaps on offense last year and lined out wide on 622 of them. He was pretty even in regards to which side of the field he lined up. He was wide left for 303 snaps and wide right for 319 snaps. 

Where Jackson can improve in 2022

With Jackson lining up wide on most of his snaps, his production did not come from outside of the numbers. 

He was targeted on the outside part of the field 29 times and hauled in 16 of the passes from Auburn quarterbacks. 

That clip changes dramatically when looking at passes beyond 10 yards down the field. He was targeted 14 times 10 yards downfield on the outside and only bought in 4 catches for 60 yards. 

What this means for Shedrick Jackson in 2022

If Jackson is going to take the next step and be the clear-cut key guy for Auburn's passing attack, two things need to happen. 

He needs to be utilized on inside breaking routes as much as possible. We saw him find success with posts, ins, and drags. Auburn quarterbacks looked his way and he was able to capitalize on those types of situations.

Jackson also needs to get better on the outside of the field. This ranges from winning one on one matchups to having a better feel of the sideline.