Who is AC Leonard?

Jaron Foster

minnesota vikings rookie minicampFollowing a one week hiatus from rookie coverage, this series returns to the players who are carrying all the pads after practice. This installment features former Tennessee State University (TSU) tight end A.C. Leonard, an undrafted free agent (UDFA) who signed with the Minnesota Vikings shortly after completion of the 2014 NFL Draft. Though UDFAs have bigger hills to climb than their drafted counterparts, Leonard is an excellent athlete who landed in a tight-end friendly system so his potential value is worth investigating.

A four-star recruit to the University of Florida (UF), the 6’2” tight end listed at 250 pounds had a forgettable freshman year on- and off-the-field. Held to 99 yards on eight receptions and no touchdowns in the shadow of Jordan Reed, Leonard was arrested multiple times including domestic battery and decided (with suggestion from the university and coaching staff) to transfer to TSU. He proceeded to leave his troubles behind and caught 51 passes for 733 yards and six touchdowns in 2012. Though he regressed statistically in 2013, catching 34 passes for 441 yards and five touchdowns, Leonard was named a Second-Team All-American for the second consecutive year. Reed stays in touch with Leonard and speaks highly of him, recently stating that the pair had hoped to provide the Gators with a similar attack as Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez did for the Patriots.

At the Scouting Combine, Leonard tested near the top of the tight end class in multiple categories including an impressive 10’8” broad jump and was first overall with a 4.50 40-yard-dash. After this strong performance, Leonard was widely projected to be selected on the third day of the draft. Unfortunately for his value, the aforementioned character concerns combined with durability issues led to three quiet days while fellow TSU Tigers Kadeem Edwards (Tampa Bay) and Demetrius Rhaney (St. Louis), both offensive linemen, were selected.

[inlinead]Though undersized for the position, Leonard projects as an effective move tight end given his agility, speed, and reliable hands. Having lined up in the slot, inline, and outside he can be a versatile play-maker and can either fly by or out-muscle defenders. Strong enough to shed tacklers, he creates yards after the catch and what he lacks in height he can often make up for with a knack to win contested catches. Priding himself in his speed and route running, which he professes to be his best skills, Leonard has put many of the questions about his dedication to rest with a strong work ethic and outspoken determination to be great.

For a UDFA, there isn’t a lot to dislike about Leonard’s game, which likely speaks volumes about the concerns NFL teams had about his character. Tangible weaknesses are most frequently listed to be blocking, in part attributed to his size, limited experience against strong competition, and a tendency to miss time due to injury (he suffered a torn meniscus, a groin injury, and other minor injuries during his collegiate career). Additionally, many scouting reports indicate that his route-running can be sloppy and inconsistent even though Leonard himself considers this to be one of his strengths.

What is going to be a boost for Leonard’s value is the Norv Turner-led offense he signed into. While Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Rudolph are getting significant boosts in fantasy value because of the new offensive coordinator, a talented move tight end like Leonard would benefit from his scheme if given the opportunity. As the second tight end on the Browns last year, Gary Barnidge was on the field on approximately half of the team’s offensive snaps. His low reception total (thirteen for the season) is representative more of his skill set than his opportunity as the 6’6” Barnidge was used as a blocker more than 80% of the time. With John Carlson now in Arizona, Turner’s options at second tight end behind Rudolph are mediocre talents (Rhett Ellison and Chase Ford) until you get down to Leonard, not to mention that Rudolph missed half the season with a broken foot and has a history of minor injuries. Leonard landed in a great spot to contribute if he can seize the opportunity.

In the short-term, as is the case even with the most promising of rookies, it will be necessary to temper expectations with Leonard. Learning a more complex offense, facing bigger and stronger competition, developing blocking skills, and sitting behind one of the best young tight ends in the game are all reasons to plan on waiting a year (or two) for Leonard to begin his fantasy relevance. Despite all of the reasons to be optimistic about Leonard, he will require a lot of development and his floor is as low as his ceiling is high. Even the top tight ends took at least a year to emerge, including Jimmy Graham (31 receptions his rookie season), Jordan Cameron (26 receptions in his first two seasons combined), and Julius Thomas (one reception in his first two seasons combined). Leonard is a long-shot to join this upper-echelon and even if he does, the statistical ascension almost certainly won’t begin in 2014.

Despite all of the reasons to be optimistic about Leonard, the tight end was completely off the radar of mock drafters in July ADP. He was not selected among the top 37 tight ends, 52 rookies, or 251 overall, putting him in the territory of being a waiver wire pickup. For DLF staff rankings, Leonard is the eighth rookie tight end and 47th tight end overall, which is consistent with going undrafted in standard-scoring mock drafts, and does not crack the top 50 rookies on offense. At that price (likely only a final roster spot off the waiver wire) I am absolutely buying Leonard’s upside, especially in deep and/or tight end premium leagues.

Comment below or contact me on Twitter @JLFoster10 with suggestions for future installments of this series.

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