Rookie Report: Week One

In my weekly column, we take a long look at two rookies and compare their performance to date against my original expectations of them.  Let’s start this 2013 series off by looking back at the performances of Baltimore Ravens free agent wide receiver Marlon Brown and Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy.

Marlon Brown, WR BAL

Here is what I saw in college with Brown: First, Brown was not a very healthy player during his college career.  He played eight games his senior year and missed multiple games every other college football season.  His 6′ 5″ size certainly gave him an advantage over every college defender Brown played against .  Brown fully extends out to catch the ball, has very soft hands to secure the ball, finds soft spots in coverage and uses good body control.

In his 2012 game against Missouri, Brown glided across the field, almost daring defenders to try to smash him in the middle of the field.  He fought for extra yardage and caught the ball with his fingertips, never letting the ball into his body.  He has a good sense of when the play is breaking down as Brown would come back to his quarterback to attempt to bail him out of trouble. The former Bulldog is a dangerous red zone threat as he can sky over smaller defensive backs and makes difficult catches in traffic.

This is what I saw from Brown against the Broncos: Right before the game, the Ravens announced they only dressed four receivers including Brown and fellow rookie receiver Aaron Mellette was forced to watch in street clothes.  Despite the early excitement of Brown being lined up outside on the first play of the game,  the rookie was not seen again until a few minutes into the second quarter.

He made his biggest impact after a knee injury to Jacoby Jones.  When you have a 46″ high-definition television, it is obvious is that the rookie was extremely nervous as his eyes were widened dramatically and the sweat poured down his face.  Brown did not seem to have Flacco’s trust early on, but it increased throughout the game.  This was because the old timers, Brandon Stokely and Dallas Clark kept bobbling the ball.

Brown got targeted deep, but struggled with more physical coverage when he got pushed around.  His body language, at times, tipped off his defender whether it was a run or a pass play.  The free agent rookie was resilient enough not to squander this opportunity despite his opening night jitters. Brown caught the ball away from his body and was more than willing to do the dirty work catching the ball in the middle of the field.   Not all receivers have that frame of mind.  He excelled at running crossing patterns and glided effortlessly through the defense at times.  When Brown got separation, he became a dangerous weapon in the red zone – that fact got highlighted on his corner route reception in the end zone.

Jacoby Jones’ MRI revealed a sprained MCL, so Jones will be out four-to-six weeks.  This window could be all Brown needs to secure the starting spot and never look back. Do not go too crazy on the waiver wire acquiring him as chances are he will have, at best, a 50 reception, 650 receiving yard and four touchdown season.

Eddie Lacy, RB GB

Here is what I saw in college with Lacy: Lacy got to play behind a very strong college offensive line that helped him see the field and opened up holes he could run though with ease.  The second round rookie totes the rock between the tackles and occasionally breaks an outside play. When I watch Lacy’s college tape, he reminds me more of the former Alabama running back Mark Ingram than Trent Richardson.  Richardson is a more dynamic runner who can make you miss or run over you. Lacy can run over people, because he is a strong, low to the ground back.  He simply cannot create a crease on his own.  There are times that he does not pick up his feet and commit to an angle.  Lacy can catch the ball out of the backfield, and pass blocked better than most college backs.

This is what I saw from Lacy against the 49ers: Lacy’s woes against quick defenders continued.  The Packer offensive line struggled to create any space for the rookie and it showed.  He does not pick up his feet and mostly ran straight ahead into the pile.  Lacy dealt with the danger of the pileup as he got the ball stripped out during one.  There will not be many plays in the NFL that will he get a clear running lane and see the entire field like at Alabama.  Lacy is a strong, determined runner, but it will take more than that to sustain NFL success.  Hopefully, the offensive line will get more accustomed to run blocking to give their defense a rest to make Lacy more effective.

In the first half, Lacy looked a bit lost on passing plays as the running back wasn’t sure who to block and slipped a few times trying to get into the flat.  It was also very obvious Lacy did not have the ball on several of the play fakes.  Aaron Rogers appeared to be irritated by his play in the passing game and ignored him in that role on the next two series.  During the two-minute drill, John Kuhn replaced the rookie as it seems the coaching staff has more faith in the fullback’s blocking and hands than Lacy.

He looked better in the second half.  When Green Bay schemed him into space, Lacy looked more comfortable. The rookie took a dump-off pass weaving in and out of the defenders’ grasp to get the ball down to the five yard line.  The usually stiff Lacy even busted out a jump cut on that reception.  His runs on designed draws were the most effective, as it got the defense on their heels and Lacy got a head of steam to run some of them over.  On his first NFL touchdown run, Lacy got airborne to cross the goal line, but he needs to be careful the ball doesn’t get swatted out of his hands in the future.  My best educated guess with Lacy this season is 200 touches for 700 yards and eight touchdowns.  He will be a better RB3 or spot starter than a every week player for your fantasy or dynasty team.

For follow-up questions or information, contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley.