Dynasty Debate: Markus Wheaton vs. Quinton Patton
Writing these debate articles has been a blast for me. First, I get to write about football and second, I get to know some of the other writers a bit better. This has been particularly fun as I’m one of the “new guys.” As I fight my way through my fellow writers, I’m learning this is one dedicated crew of excellent writers. Trust me when I say, DLF will continue to be the global leader of dynasty fantasy football content. We all love it just as much as you and appreciate you guys reading and commenting on our work…if you can call writing about fantasy football “work.”
Enough with the love fest, let’s get to the fighting.
For this edition, I challenged another new guy, Doug Veatch. As has been the norm, I gave my counterpart the option of picking the players we’ll argue over. Doug had a twist planned for me. He offered up a pair of rookies. Doug will be making a case for Quinton Patton out of Louisiana Tech and I’ll be arguing for Oregon State’s Markus Wheaton.
Doug’s argument for Quinton Patton
Before I get too deep into this, I would like to point out I think Wheaton is a solid NFL prospect, but I have some concerns. Not huge concerns by any means, but enough that would steer me in another direction because I think he has limited upside.
Wheaton is one of those wiry players at first, second and third glance. He has decent size, but is lacking in the weight department (183 lbs) which could really hurt his chances of staying on the football field if he doesn’t bulk up. At 5’11” he does have the frame to add some weight, but sometimes it can take younger players a bit more time before they put on what I like to call their “man weight.” The bigger question is if he does put on additional weight, how much of his speed and fluidity will be sacrificed?
If I had to compare him to any player in the NFL right now it would be DeSean Jackson. I think Wheaton basically has the same upside as DJax as well. I don’t think he’ll be a player who will grab 90 balls per year or score you eight touchdowns, but rather finish somewhere in the range of 50-65 catches and 5-7 touchdowns, though his high yards per catch average will keep him squarely in the mix to be a WR4-5 for your dynasty teams.
It never hurts to have that kind of depth on your roster, but I’m always looking for someone who I believe has solid WR2 value, with potential to grow from there.
Quinton Patton is probably the most underrated wide receiver in this draft class at this point. I know it’s still early in the process and these players don’t have a home yet, but I’m really struggling to find something about Patton’s game that isn’t an easy fix.
From what I’m hearing out there in the dynasty community, the biggest knock on Patton is that he played in the WAC and therefore, did not play against top notch programs. While that is true, I feel a lot of people don’t really dig deep enough to search for clarity, because I couldn’t disagree more. Patton had one of the best statistical games I’ve ever witnessed against Johnny Manziel and the Texas A&M Aggies in 2012. In that game Patton was, for a lack of a better word “unstoppable.” He put up an insane stat line of 21/233/4 against one of the best teams in the country, yet made it look easy. Questioning his talent because of the conference he played in is a non-issue in my eyes.
Patton’s measurables and the way they translate onto the football field remind me so much of Hakeem Nicks, it’s actually quite scary. They are almost identical in size, speed and intangibles. They are both very aggressive in the red zone, natural hands catchers, excellent route runners, very quick off of the line of scrimmage, get to full speed within a few steps, are able to fight off press coverage and both work the sidelines to perfection. As far as feet go, Patton has some of the quickest feet of any player I’ve ever scouted. The way he changes direction without sacrificing speed is rare for a player of his size and he is a nightmare for defensive backs to take on alone in the open field. He also has experience playing both outside and in the slot, so I could see a team really maximizing his skill set by moving him all over the field, which also makes him a good candidate to be on the field for all three downs.
I see Patton as one of the most NFL ready wide receivers in this draft class. If he is drafted into the right situation, he could produce top 30 numbers in year one, with plenty of upside going forward. Both of these wide receivers should be taken within a few picks of each other in most rookie drafts, most likely somewhere in the late first to mid-second round, so they both represent great value picks to dynasty owners.
For my money, if I own a late first round pick and both players are sitting there for the taking, I’m taking Patton without a doubt in my mind.
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My Argument for Markus Wheaton
Quinton Patton was a proficient college player. He displays impressive physicality and is superb at adjusting to a pass and controlling his body. He doesn’t have elite deep speed and isn’t remarkably quick off the line of scrimmage. I’m not a scout by any stretch of the imagination, but those are the things I noted while watching his highlights. Patton has been compared to Reggie Wayne and Greg Jennings and I have high expectations for him in the NFL, but that seems a little lofty to me.
Negatively, he doesn’t have premier size or speed. Standing at six feet tall and running the 40 in a mediocre 4.53 seconds doesn’t exactly scream top-notch NFL talent. While most recently scouts have talked him up as a second round pick, prior to draft season this feeling was far from unanimous. He was referred to as a third receiver option in the NFL and “just a guy” at various points (granted the scout who called him “just a guy” was anonymous). There’s no denying he was remarkably productive in college racking up over 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns in two seasons. However, keep in mind those totals came in games that averaged a gazillion points in the Western Athletic Conference.
Conversely, Markus Wheaton racked up 91 catches, 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior in the PAC-12. Not that the PAC-12 is a defensive strong hold, but there are some legitimate defenses including Stanford and to a lesser extent, UCLA. He was asked to play a featured role against significantly better defenses than Patton ever faced and excelled to an equal extent.
Wheaton is also markedly faster with a track and field background. He ran the 40 nearly a full tenth faster than Patton at 4.45 seconds. While he measured in one inch shorter and a smidge lighter than Patton, he out benched him 20 to eight, out jumped him by four inches, and ran the three-cone drill slightly faster. While both are impressive physical specimens with tremendous athleticism, Wheaton wins by a whisker when it comes to speed and lateral agility.
He could borrow a little of Patton’s physicality getting off the line of scrimmage, but once he gets the ball, watch out – he’s one the most dynamic open field threats in the draft with tremendous elusiveness and speed. It’s his lateral quickness and ability to stretch the field that will have NFL team’s drooling over him. Once a pass is thrown, he tracks it well and is fierce fighting for and high pointing the ball. Much like Patton, he’s a disciplined and crafty route runner.
Essentially, Wheaton has a couple of advantages in my eyes.
While both are savvy route runners, Wheaton has the additional speed to help create separation against faster NFL corners. Secondly, while both receivers were tremendously productive in college, Wheaton excelled against better defenses. After doing the film and scout report studying, both excite me to a new level – this speaks to the quality depth of wide receiver in this draft. There isn’t a Julio Jones or Calvin Johnson in this draft, but there may just be a few players comparable to Anotonio Brown, Greg Jennings or Anquan Boldin. Both of these players fit the mold, with a slight edge to Wheaton.
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Conclusion
As both of us noted, there’s a lot to like about these players. Patton plays with a beautiful blend of physicality and disciplined route running, but lacks field stretching speed. Wheaton has an extra bit of speed but is spindly and will need to prove he can stay healthy at the next level. I’m hoping for a WR2 career out of Wheaton comparable to Boldin or Brown, while Doug feels that Patton compares favorably to Hakeem Nicks.
There may not be a clear winner in this debate, but I’m glad Doug picked these two prospects. Taking the time to do some research paid off in a big way. I’ll be happy to end up with either of these receivers in my rookie drafts. Wheaton and Patton are two underrated, high character and disciplined players with highly productive college careers. Left having to pick between them, which player do you like?
Follow Mark on Twitter @Mark_Rockwell85
Follow Doug on Twitter @Harahduh2
