Giants UDFAs: Get to know John Jiles, WR, West Florida

Could Jiles compete for a roster spot?

John Jiles is one of those college players who has had a winding path that did not have him high on the radars of NFL teams. He will, though, get an NFL opportunity. Jiles, 6-foot-2, 219 pounds, is one of the players reported signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent.

Here is what a variety of scouting reports say about him:

Dane Brugler:

A three-star safety recruit out of high school, he committed to Marshall but didn’t qualify academically. He moved to receiver full-time and played two seasons at the juco level. He had FBS offers, but academics were again an issue. He flirted with the CFL, too, but the pandemic threw off those plans. So, Jiles signed with Division II Virginia Union and sat out the 2021 season to get his grades in order. After a productive 2022, he transferred to West Florida for his final year. Although he doesn’t create a ton of space, Jiles does a great job with his size and body positioning to create workable windows and pull in erratic throws with his wide net. Overall, Jiles is rough around the edges as a route runner, but he looks like the Division II version of Drake London on tape with his height/weight/speed and ball skills. There is talent here worth developing.

Emory Hunt (Football Gameplan draft guide):

Strengths:

– Tremendous athlete and athleticism; very Stacey Augmon like in that regard. Excellent leaping ability and can win above the rim more often than not.
– Confident and arrogant hands. Really trusts his mitts and his wingspan to make the grab. Will be a QB’s most trusted option in a tough situation.
– Footwork is where you’d like it. Able to get a very good release off the LOS and shows he can stack and track the ball deep downfield.

Areas of Improvement:

– The foot release is fine, but has to be stronger with his hands in terms of getting off press coverage quicker. Also at the top of his route, using his hands to free himself from a defender is another area for growth.
– Top end speed is a question, as he’ll struggle to consistently separate from defensive backs.

The Giants saw Jiles first-hand at the College Gridiron Showcase, where they had multiple scouts in attendance.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com thinks Jiles has a chance to stick on the bottom of an NFL roster or a practice. He wrote:

Jiles has arms like vines and showed off his ridiculous catch radius on more than one occasion during his college career. Despite playing against smaller foes, he has a lighter win rate on contested catches than he should, as he fails to bully and wall off opponents at the catch point. He’s a sloppy route-runner and lacks NFL long speed. Jiles will need to become more aggressive and consistently competitive to prove he can win possession catches and rise to the challenge of much stiffer competition.

The Athletic lists Jiles as the UDFA with the best chance to make the Giants’ roster. Jiles caught 66 passes for 1,255 yards (19.0 yards per catch) and 16 touchdowns last season. He figures to compete with players like Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Chase Cota, Miles Boykin and Dennis Houston for an opportunity to at least be part of the practice squad. Best-case, he sneaks on to the 53-man roster as a sixth or seventh wide receiver.