Jaelon Darden is a Slot Specialist WR for North Texas. Jaelon's 2018 season ranks in the 100th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 61 plays — a elite rate for the WR.
The offense's primary passing-down weapon — routes, separation, and reliability on 3rd down define this role.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadree Henderson | Pittsburgh | 2016 | 63 | 0.530 | 1.6 | 33.4 |
| DeAndre Hughes | Air Force | 2021 | 60 | 0.470 | 1.3 | 28.2 |
| Keytaon Thompson | Mississippi State | 2017 | 70 | 0.460 | 1.2 | 32.2 |
| Savion Williams | TCU | 2024 | 56 | 0.450 | 1.1 | 25.2 |
| Javion Posey | Florida Atlantic | 2020 | 53 | 0.450 | 1.4 | 23.8 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Rec | Rec Yds | Avg | Rec TD | Long | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsSMU | W46-23 | -5.4 | 6 | 81 | 13.5 | 0 | 29 | 0.74 |
| 2 | vsIncarnate Word | W58-16 | — | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 6 | 0.18 |
| 3 | @Arkansas | W44-17 | 4.5 | 5 | 87 | 17.4 | 0 | 37 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Rec 2 · Rec Yds 8 · Avg 4.0 · Rec TD 0
| 0.79 |
| 4 | @Liberty | W47-7 | -19.7 | 4 | 65 | 16.3 | 1 | 43 | 0.50 |
| 5 | vsLouisiana Tech | L27-29 | -6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | -0.91 |
| 6 | @UTEP | W27-24 | -26.6 | 5 | 91 | 18.2 | 1 | 46 | 1.81 |
| 7 | vsSouthern Miss | W30-7 | -5.0 | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 0 | 15 | 0.64 |
| 8 | @UAB | L21-29 | -0.3 | 10 | 143 | 14.3 | 2 | 31 | 1.54 |
| 9 | vsRice | W41-17 | -26.4 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 0 | 19 | -0.01 |
| 11 | @Old Dominion | L31-34 | -14.1 | 4 | 29 | 7.3 | 0 | 15 | 0.16 |
| 12 | vsFlorida Atlantic | W41-38 | -0.8 | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | 0 | 4 | -0.31 |
| 13 | @UTSA | W24-21 | -22.1 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 8 | 0.64 |
| 1 | vsUtah State | L13-52 | 14.2 | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | -0.26 |