Final Rookie Report Card: The Wide Receivers, Part One

Dan Meylor

adams

Throughout the season, the Rookie Report Card has covered some of the biggest rookies and not only looked at their performance to date – but also their long term upside. Now that the regular season has wrapped up and fantasy owners are looking towards the future, we have an opportunity to take one last look at the 2014 season and assess the rookies. A final report card if you will.

We covered 33 rookies throughout the season, including 15 wide receivers. As we have over the last couple weeks with quarterbacks and running backs, we’ll take one last look at those wide outs’ first shot catching passes on Sundays – as well as a quick glimpse into their futures.

Davante Adams, RB GB
Season Stats: 38 receptions, 446 yards, three touchdowns

Although Adams had a productive rookie season, he didn’t have a true breakout game until the divisional round against the Cowboys where he posted seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown so I didn’t have the opportunity to feature him in the Rookie Report Card. That doesn’t mean I’m not a big fan however.

Adams has a great combination of size (6’1”, 212 pounds) and leaping ability (39.5 inch vertical). He proved while at Fresno State to have a knack for perfectly timing his jump to outleap defenders on jump balls and with his impressive catch radius and excellent hands, he often made incredible grabs.

In his first season in Green Bay, Adams didn’t display the “above the rim” abilities very often as Aaron Rodgers’ third receiver. For the most part he played the part of the possession receiver opposite Jordy Nelson, running lots of slant patterns and hook routes. Although his season was a bit up and down, Adams played the role of third fiddle in a good offense very well and improved as the season went on.

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

Depending on if Randall Cobb is back in town, Adams could be elevated to the number two role in Green Bay’s pass happy attack as soon as the opening week of next season. With another training camp to work on his craft and with Rodgers throwing his passes, the sky is the limit for Adams. The potential to be a quality WR2 as soon as next year is a possibility for Adams and becoming a WR1 at some point in the next few seasons isn’t out of reach. Adams makes for an excellent trade target this offseason, especially before Cobb’s future is decided.

For those of you that can’t afford Adams on the trade market, the two other rookie wide outs for the Packers make for intriguing trade targets as well. Jared Abbrederis (who may be a free agent in many leagues) and Jeff Janis are candidates to be elevated to Adams’ former role of third wide out if Cobb isn’t back in town. With an offense like the Packers have and Rodgers at the helm, they’re certainly worth a look for a roster spot.

Final Rookie Report Card
Player: Davante Adams
Rookie Grade Long Term Upside
C A

 

Odell Beckham Jr., WR NYG
Season Stats: 91 receptions, 1,305 yards, 12 touchdowns

When I covered Beckham in the week seven Rookie Report Card, I finished my thoughts on the Giants rookie with the following.

“Beckham has the potential to be one of the most dynamic receivers in the league. He possesses the speed and quickness of Randall Cobb with the hands and route running of Antonio Brown.”

I had no idea he’d reach those levels over the next ten weeks of his rookie season however.

At this point, everybody knows what Beckham can do for dynasty owners. He’s a top end WR1 that may have more value than any other player in dynasty leagues due to his amazing numbers over his first 12 games as a pro and his youthful age. Because of that, many dynasty writers are urging owners to put Beckham on the trade block. I’m not one of those guys.

Beckham has the pedigree of a WR1, performed like a WR1 for nearly an entire season already and has his entire career in front of him. It would take a king’s ransom for me to deal him.

Final Rookie Report Card
Player: Odell Beckham Jr.
Rookie Grade Long Term Upside
A+ A+

 

Kelvin Benjamin, WR CAR
Season Stats: 73 receptions, 1,008 yards, nine touchdowns

Benjamin was an average route runner without much burst off the line of scrimmage and had a tendency to drop catchable passes while at Florida State. He was incredibly inconsistent, catching a one-handed jump ball in the corner of the end zone on one play and dropping a slant that could go for 20-plus yards on the next series. Because of that, it was incredibly frustrating to try to get a grasp of Benjamin as a pro prospect last year.

After watching him for a season, I wish I had focused a bit more on the spectacular plays than the negative ones, however.

Benjamin had a very good rookie season. His route running was improved, his ball skills were better (although he still dropped too many passes) and his playmaking ability was more consistent on Sundays than it was on Saturdays. He still has a lot of work to do as a route runner to someday become a high end WR2 for fantasy purposes, but the potential is there for Benjamin to be a very good player – both for the Panthers and his dynasty owners.

Final Rookie Report Card
Player: Kelvin Benjamin
Rookie Grade Long Term Upside
B A-

 

John Brown, WR ARI
Season Stats: 48 receptions, 696 yards, five touchdowns

Only costing a third or fourth round draft pick, Brown was one of my favorite rookies at draft time. After a season of watching him play, Brown’s dynasty owners should be happy with their investment and optimistic about the future dividends it could provide.

Showing lightning quick explosion off the line of scrimmage as well as sharp route running skills and good hands, Brown had a productive rookie season. Although his progress was slowed by the injury to Carson Palmer, he proved himself as a good short to intermediate target with the potential to take a defense deep from time to time.

Due to his size and short area quickness, Brown profiles as an ideal slot receiver but played primarily on the perimeter in his rookie season due to the Cardinals’ coaching staff wanting Larry Fitzgerald in the slot as much as possible. Fitzgerald’s contract calls for an $8-million bonus in March and as well as an $8-million salary in 2015. If the Cardinals decide to move on without the face of their franchise, Brown’s role could dramatically increase next season. Considering Arizona’s pass happy attack with Palmer under center, Brown should enter next season as a WR3 if that happens and he has the upside to put up top-25 numbers at the position in PPR leagues.

Final Rookie Report Card
Player: John Brown
Rookie Grade Long Term Upside
C- B+

 

Martavis Bryant, WR PIT
Season Stats: 26 receptions, 549 yards, eight touchdowns

Bryant has impressive size (6’4”, 211 pounds), incredible leaping ability (39 inch vertical) and very good speed (4.42 40 time). All of that was on display at times during his rookie season.

Catching six touchdowns in his first four games, Bryant burst onto the scene for the Steelers when they badly needed a threat opposite Antonio Brown. His momentum didn’t carry through the rest of the season however as he posted less than 45 yards in five of the last seven games for Pittsburgh and he often split snaps with Markus Wheaton.

Inconsistent route running was the primary reason Bryant wasn’t on the field more as a rookie. He has the skills to improve in that area though and considering the Steelers’ high flying attack as well as the playmakers they have in place on offense that should take away the defenses attention, Bryant has a chance to contribute much more for dynasty owners in year two.

Considering his speed to burn teams with the deep ball as well as his excellent red zone skills, Bryant will enter 2015 as a WR3 with WR2 upside – particularly in standard leagues. In the long run, he has the potential if he can become a more consistent route runner on intermediate routes to develop into a top 15 receiver for dynasty owners.

Final Rookie Report Card
Player: Martavis Bryant
Rookie Grade Long Term Upside
C B+

 

Brandin Cooks, WR NO
Season Stats: 53 receptions, 550 yards, five touchdowns, seven carries, 73 yards, one touchdown

With his incredible speed and quickness, expectations were high for Cooks as a rookie. Although his season was very inconsistent and ended on a sore note with a broken thumb in week eleven, he proved to be a big play waiting to happen in his first year in the Big Easy and although he didn’t have a 100-yard game as a rookie, he showed signs of developing as a downfield threat in the middle of the season.

Cooks became the forgotten man of this rookie receiver class due to his injury but should be at full strength going into the Saints’ offseason workouts. Although his season was cut short, he’s still a dynamic playmaker in an offense that has proved willing to build a game plan around him and design ways to get him the ball. If the Saints offense can get back to the form they had over the last five seasons and Cooks continues to develop as a full time receiver, he has the potential to put up big numbers and in PPR leagues, could develop into a WR1 for dynasty owners.

Final Rookie Report Card
Player: Brandin Cooks
Rookie Grade Long Term Upside
B- A+

 

Mike Evans, WR TB
Season Stats: 68 receptions, 1,058 yards, 12 touchdowns

Another rookie wide out with big expectations coming into the season, Evans didn’t disappoint. In fact, he carried fantasy teams for a stretch in the middle of the season, catching 21 passes for 458 yards and five touchdowns in weeks nine through 11.

Evans seemed to hit the rookie wall after that stretch. Although he caught five touchdowns over the last six weeks of the season, he didn’t have a game with more than 54 receiving yards and didn’t post more than five grabs in a game.

Overall, Evans is exactly what every dynasty owner that drafted him wanted. He uses his incredible size (6’5”, 235 pounds) to box out and out jump defenders and has developed quite nicely as a route runner as a rookie. His potential to be a top-five receiver is only held back at this point by the lack of talent under center in Tampa Bay and that should be addressed with the top pick in the draft. Nobody should be surprised if he someday is the top receiver in fantasy leagues.

Final Rookie Report Card
Player: Mike Evans
Rookie Grade Long Term Upside
B A+

 

Allen Hurns, WR JAX
Season Stats: 51 receptions, 677 yards, six touchdowns

The only undrafted free agent to make the list, Hurns was good story but likely didn’t help many dynasty owners in his rookie season due to a majority of his production coming in two games including in week one (four catches, 110 yards, two touchdowns) when most didn’t start him, and week nine (seven catches, 112 yards, two touchdowns) when he was coming off a four game stretch where he caught a total of 10 passes for 100 yards and no scores. Nevertheless, he took his opportunity after a hot training camp and ran with it despite being a deep threat that lacks speed or leaping ability.

Hurns ran pretty good routes as a rookie and showed excellent anticipation with the ball in the air but dropped far too many passes (7) including multiple touchdowns. He’s sure to be behind fellow rookies Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson and will have to compete with whoever the Jaguars bring in this offseason and perhaps Justin Blackmon for the role of third receiver in a poor offense. We likely saw the best season of Hurns’ career in 2014.

Join us tomorrow for a look at the rest of the 2014 receiver class.

[/am4show]

dan meylor