Jeremy Maclin Zone

July 17th, 2008 by Maclin Zone

Is Jeremy Maclin too valuable to play special teams? In 2007, he averages 12.28 yards per punt return and actually took 2 of them all the way for a touchdown. For kickoffs, he returned 43 of them for over 1,000 yards and score 1 touchdown. Those are awesome stats for a returner. But the question remains, is Jeremy Maclin too valuable to the Missouri Tigers to play special teams?

In the NFL, you will never see star players returning punts or kickoffs. The chance for injury is too high.

We should see a decrease in the number of punts and kickoffs Maclin returns in 2008. This year he is a sophomore and arguably the most valuable player on the team behind Chase Daniel. If Maclin got injured on a punt return it would be devastating. I would love to see him still return some punts and kickoffs, especially in big game situations, but not when the team is winning or playing a non-conference game.

Having great return skills will help Jeremy Maclin get drafted by an NFL team, but it’s not a necessity. Guys like Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Braylon Edwards were not return specialists. So what do you think? Would you keep him back there returning all the kickoffs and punts, or limit him in 2008?