Rookie Report Card: Week Nine

In my weekly column, we take a longer look at two more rookies. I compare their performance to date against my original expectations of them. Let’s continue the 2013 series by looking back at San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Terrance Williams.

Keenan Allen, WR SD

Here is what I saw in college from Allen: Allen unfortunately did not have a quarterback in all his time in college who could deliver the ball with any type of consistency. Most of the passes thrown his way were either too far in front of him or too low to be caught in stride. The talented receiver has however always had a knack for finding a soft spot in coverage and waiting for the pass. Once the ball is in his hands, Allen looks like a bigger Percy Harvin. He runs with power, balance, and downfield vision. Allen is an effective run blocker and could become a starter right away if he can stay healthy. I think he is the safest and most talented wide receiver in the 2013 class if his injuries subside.

This is what I saw from Allen against the Redskins: Allen looked and played like a seasoned receiver as he came back to a hurried Phillip Rivers on more than one occasion to bail him out of trouble. It’s great to see they already have the chemistry to work well together.

Allen tracks the ball well in the air and can get to the ball at its highest point. He runs precise routes in which he demonstrates good start and stop ability. This footwork can throw off the defensive back’s timing and causes them to miss him in the open field. He also has a nice stutter step and head fake that fools his coverage. All of these moves were on display on his touchdown catch when Allen sold a slant pattern only to turn it into a post pattern where he finished all alone in the end zone.

There are causes for concern. While he did catch eight of his eleven targets, Allen let the ball into his body a few times too many. The pigskin bounced off his chest twice on very easy receptions that could have kept drives going. On two other body catches, the rookie left a lot of yards after the catch on the field as it took him too much time to secure the ball. While these passes were for first downs, Allen might have scored on at least one of them. His lack of physicality came into play when fellow rookie David Amerson knocked Allen off his route to snare an interception. The two players had good battles throughout the day, but Allen let the rookie corner get the best of him there.

If you drafted Allen in your rookie or start-up draft, consider him a un-tradeable asset right now. He has top ten upside at the position, especially once Antonio Gates retires. Head Coach Mike McCoy schemes offenses well as he made a fantasy sensation out of Tim Tebow, so who knows what he can do with a full season under his belt with the talented rookie receiver. With the balanced San Diego offense, the sky is the limit with what Allen can do this year and beyond.

Terrance Williams, WR DAL

These are some of my observations of Williams during his time in college: Williams is a complete wide receiver. He plays bigger than he is (6′ 2″, but looks like a 6′ 4″ player). Williams does a great job tracking the ball deep, has a great bucket catch and skies high for the football. By using his quick feet, he can also break quickly away from defenders down the field. When he is running routes, he shows good separation and uses the sidelines as an additional blocker after the catch. Williams impresses with his use of head fakes that he gives his coverage as he sells it well. This hesitation can give the receiver enough of a small window to race downfield to make spectacular catches in stride.

It is somewhat surprising, but Williams is a very good blocker which will get him on the field for more plays than most deep threats would be. He does a good job blocking his man on run plays and makes a point to keep on blocking downfield when other receivers caught the ball. I’m not sure if he will ever be a true WR1, but I like him to develop into a WR2.

Here is what I gleamed during Williams’ game against the Vikings: His two catches for 33 yards are not that impressive for a rookie receiver that scored four times in as many games prior to the Minnesota matchup. He was not targeted much during the first half as the other play makers stepped up. Williams’ seven targets throughout the game were fewer than three other Dallas receivers (Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and the second year sensation Cole Beasley).

The rookie can get great separation from his coverage as Williams was wide-open in the middle of the field when he bailed Tony Romo out of a third and seventeen play. It took two defenders to bring him down. On similar third and long play, Williams missed a 30 yard pass play when he misjudged the ball as he got hit on the shoulder pad by a defensive back, causing the ball to fall to the ground. The lack of concentration on that play did not win him any friends on the Dallas sideline. Those issues continued to haunt him as he let AJ Jefferson step in front of a deep hook pattern for an interception and later in the game when he let another ball slip right between his fingers.

The rookie runs good patterns and has good separation skills, but he is not the receiver that Bryant or Witten are. In a pass heavy offense like the Cowboys run, Williams will see a lot of targets, but he can’t waste the ones he gets or those throws will go elsewhere. I still see a WR2 who needs to improve his concentration and route running as well as getting his quarterback to trust him again.

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