Rookie Report Card: Tyler Lockett and Chris Conley

Dan Meylor

lockettEach week throughout the season, I’ll cover one or two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week.  On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and covering how he’s performed at the NFL level to this point, I’ll actually give him a grade in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, 2015 potential and long term upside.

The series continues with a look at Tyler Lockett and Chris Conley.
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Tyler Lockett, WR SEA
Week Seven Stats: five catches, 79 receiving yards and one touchdown on five targets

Over the summer I spent a lot of time watching Lockett’s film from Kansas State, trying each time to figure out if he had the upside to be a playmaking slot receiver or if he was just another undersized (5’-10”, 182 pounds) but speedy (4.40 40-yard dash) college wide out that wouldn’t be able to transition his game to the NFL level.

To be completely honest.  I still haven’t figured it out.

In the months leading up to the draft, my opinion of Lockett changed every time I saw him play.  There were times where he looked like an elite route runner, exploding off the line of scrimmage and shaking defenders at the top of his route to create separation.  Then again, there were other times where he’d get re-routed by physical defensive backs which severely limited his ability to get to full speed and create space for himself.

Overall, it was difficult to rank Lockett among the top-10 receivers in this year’s rookie class.  On top of having trouble with press coverage while in college, he also struggled with dropped passes throughout his time at Kansas State and didn’t look nearly as fast in pads as he did when working out in shorts.  Ranking among the worst at the combine in height, weight, arm length (30”) and hand size (8 ¾”), I finally decided he profiled as a part-time slot man that would likely have to excel as a return man to contribute regularly on Sundays.

Since he was drafted in the third round by the Seahawks, Lockett has opened my eyes a bit.  It started in the pre-season when on top of catching six passes for 129 yards and a beautiful 63 yard touchdown on a deep ball from Russell Wilson, he scored a pair of impressive special teams touchdowns on returns.

Since the regular season kicked off, Lockett’s contributions have been relegated mostly to special teams.  In his short time in the league he’s become one of the most dynamic kick and punt returners in the league, already taking two returns back for scores this year.  Over the first seven weeks of the year however, he’s also slowly become the Seahawks’ third receiver.  Now playing more than 50% of offensive snaps (behind only Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse), he’s getting involved as a pass catcher as well.  Again, slowly.  He has just 17 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown on 24 targets so far on the season.

Lockett’s best game of the season came on Thursday night against the 49ers, when he caught five balls for 79 yards.  His biggest catch of the night came late in the second quarter when he lined up wide right and simply ran past Tramaine Brock and through the heart of the San Francisco secondary before hauling in a 43-yard touchdown in the left side of the end zone.

Truth be told, outside of the speed he showed on that touchdown catch, Lockett didn’t show all that much on his other four receptions.  On each of them Wilson scrambled away from pressure before finding him after he was left wide open by the 49ers’ defense.  Although nothing should be taken away from him for being open, he wasn’t pressed by the defense and didn’t beat man coverage in the game (except on the score.)

At this point, fantasy owners should be pleased with Lockett’s play to this point and optimistic about his upside going forward, but shouldn’t see the progress he’s made to this point as a reason to get the rookie into their starting lineup.  After all, he’s only the third receiver in a run-first offense that spreads the ball around more than any other in the league.

Unless your league awards points for return yardage, Lockett should stay on your bench.  And if there’s an owner infatuated with the explosive plays he’s showcased over the last three months and willing to give a first round rookie pick (or the equivalent) for him, I’d take that deal in a heartbeat.

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Chris Conley, WR KC

Week Seven Stats: six catches, 63 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven targets

Playing in a run-first offense while at Georgia and therefore not being featured much, Conley was a bit of an unknown coming into draft season.  But because he put up such tantalizing numbers at the combine when he measured 6’-2” tall, 213 pounds and ran an impressive 4.35 40-yard dash while also posting a 45-inch vertical and 139 inch broad jump, the hype train got going for Conley coming out of Indianapolis despite not having the college film to back it up.

While in college, Conley showed good route running skills.  With the ability to change directions quickly, he was able to get separation – particularly on digs and out-routes.  Gliding with long strides, he also displayed the ability to run past opposing cornerbacks on deep routes.

Conley also showed while at Georgia that he has good hands.  Even in traffic, he’d make contested catches by snaring the ball out of the air with his big mitts.  Although he didn’t get a lot of opportunities as a red zone target on Saturdays, he showed at times that he can use his size to get between the defender and the ball and “box out” to make the grab.

The glaring weaknesses in Conley’s game revolve around his skills at the line of scrimmage and after the catch.  Despite his size, he’s very easy to jam at the line of scrimmage and has a hard time getting into his route after contact.  He also showed while in college that despite the speed and explosiveness he showed at the combine, he lacks run-after-catch ability and goes down far too easily after securing the ball.

After a slow start to his rookie season where he nursed a knee injury during training camp Conley has worked his way into the receiver rotation for the Chiefs, but only sees the field on three receiver sets which Kansas City doesn’t feature often.  This week, he got the start due to an injury to Jeremy Maclin and took full advantage.

Conley caught six passes for 63 yards against the Steelers and showed some of the skills that he flashed on film while at Georgia – which is both good and bad.

In the first quarter he lined up in the slot to the right and picked his way through the Steelers’ zone defense on a post route, getting wide open along the left sideline.  The throw was a bit high however and he was forced to jump to make the catch but instead of landing on his feet and sprinting down the sideline for more yardage, he fell after securing the ball.  The catch went for 25-yards but it could have been a much bigger play – which is very consistent with what he showed while in college as a limited runner after the catch.

In the fourth quarter, Conley lined up stacked behind the tight end to the left and ran a route into the left flat where Alex Smith hit him and he dove into the end zone for his touchdown.

After watching nearly all of the Chiefs-Steelers game on Sunday and keeping a close eye on Conley, I came away mildly impressed with his route running and his ability to get open, but also scratching my head as to why he’s not more fluid after the catch.  Even with that however, I saw him open on multiple occasions where Smith failed to get him the ball and came away impressed with his effort play in and play out.

As a short term prospect, Conley’s upside is limited because he’s playing with a quarterback that doesn’t push the ball down the field and prefers to dink and dunk which isn’t a strength of his.  It’s become apparent though, that he’s at more talented than Albert Wilson and should push for more and more playing time as the season progresses.

When it comes to long term potential, I continue to have hope that Conley can outgrow his awkwardness and develop his impressive measurables to the point where he can improve in all facets of the game including as a red zone threat.  Dynasty owners should see him as a quality developmental receiver and a good low-cost target in trade negotiations for those looking for young upside at the position.

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dan meylor