Jon Baldwin is an enormous wide receiver, measuring 6'5" 225 pounds. This big frame has many scouts and observers crazy over his potential. During his time at the University of Pittsburgh, he established certain things he does well on the field.
For starters, he is an excellent leaper to win jump balls. Some people believe his frame makes his closest NFL comparison Brandon Marshall. I think it is more Vincent Jackson, a big guy who leaps and consistently catches the ball at its highest point in traffic. Baldwin is also a solid deep route runner. He lacks exceptional speed but is pretty good at making sutble body contortions to throw defenders.
He is more of a project in other areas. Despite his big frame, he struggles to break jams and is taken down fairly easily with the ball in his hands. I think his stiff arm could use some work. He is a fairly unrefined route runner on top of that. The biggest thing I find troubling is the lack of separation he got on routes at Pitt. Defenders are a lot faster and more intelligent to shake in the NFL than in the Big East. Baldwin's ability to win balls in traffic helps mitigate this, but a wideout in the NFL still needs to be able to create some space. He also drops too many easy passes.
I am always a bit leery of people talking about character concerns on Draft prospects. In a lot of cases, there is overanalysis of what people are doing in college. There does seem to be a pattern of concerns in Baldwin's case, though. For starters, he takes plays off, not running hard on routes. He also voiced criticism of his coaching staff to the public when he declared for the Draft. On top of this were criminal charges he faced in 2009. One of these might not be a big issue. All together, they are something that merit looking at. I do not think any of these should disqualify him. I trust the Jets to check his background and say whether he can mature. The team does have one of his mentors, fellow Pitt product Darrelle Revis. Unlike a lot of locker rooms, the Jets can provide a winning atmosphere with strong leadership to keep question marks on the straight and narrow.
I cannot say I would be thrilled if the Jets took him. I see the potential, but I have visions of Mike Williams in my head, the big slow receiver with character questions and on the verge of being too large to play the position effectively. The value would also not be very good at pick 30. More than that, I am leery of raw receivers. Again, the Jets have not developed a wide receiver in a long time. If he was an offensive lineman or defensive player, it would be different. Baldwin needs some work.
Take it with a grain of salt, though. Anybody projected to go high has the chance to be really good, and he could just as easily turn into that Vincent Jackson clone.