Rookie Report: Week Four

In my weekly column, we take a long look at two more rookies.  I compare their performance to date against my original expectations of them.  Let’s continue the 2013 series by looking back at St. Louis Rams receiver Tavon Austin and Minnesota Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Are they ready for fantasy stardom this season or will you have to wait?

Tavon Austin, WR STL

Here is what I saw in college from Austin: Austin, for his size, is quite athletic which is aided by his thick build. Depending on the game, the play maker was used as running back almost as much as a receiver.  Some of his carries were misdirection sweeps from the slot, but surprisingly many of his carries were from the half back position.  Austin impresses with his route running and does not let the ball into his body.  He is a very explosive receiver who has a great deal of body control. Austin can be extremely dangerous with the ball in open spaces. The young man uses his downfield vision to set up blocks and does his best to take the best angles to avoid contact.

One of his best runs in his final bowl game was a delayed handoff in which Austin got trapped behind the line ten yards.  The young receiver fought through six defenders to get back to the original line of scrimmage. He showed toughness in traffic, used a few sweet spin moves, and laid wood blocking for his quarterback and downfield for his fellow wide receivers.  Austin was impressive at the Combine as he posted the second quickest 40 time (4.34 seconds) for receivers.  He might be the best quick twitch athlete in his class, but will need the right offense to be a dominate fantasy weapon.

This is what I saw from Austin against the 49ers:  Head Coach Jeff Fisher uses Austin all over the formation: in the slot, backfield, occasionally outside and of course in the return game.  The rookie was not very effective on his punt returns against the 49ers, but flashed some of his quick lateral agility.  There was a particular punt return that he tried a few too many spin moves to get away from defenders.  It appeared that Austin was trying to do too much for his team, which can be very difficult for a rookie to understand. The wide receiver does not have the toughness to go against the physical outside corners. Despite being targeted eight times, Austin only came down with two of those for six yards receiving.  That kind of production won’t win you your game, let alone any dynasty championships.

There seemed to be a disconnect with Sam Bradford and Austin, although the Rams offensive line lack of control of the line of scrimmage was a huge factor.  Without a strong running game, opposing defenses can double Austin and Chris Givens at the line of scrimmage, and try to collapse the pocket to disrupt or sack Bradford.  The Rams need to get into a quick offensive rhythm and throw short passes in the flat to Austin, wheel routes and the like to take advantage of his quickness. Considering his lack of size, 5′ 7″ 178 lbs., perhaps Fisher should abandon the carries for the young receiver and concentrate how to get the ball quickly out of Bradford’s hands.  I am certainly not selling Austin, but it will take much more seasoning for me to depend on him for more than a WR3 or weekly flex play at best. Patience will be a virtue with Austin.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR MIN

This is what I saw Patterson do in college:  Patterson is a freakish athlete and could be the best pure playmaker in his class. His rawness and lack of football IQ makes him a high risk prospect. If Patterson can put it all together, he will be a dominant NFL receiver. However, Patterson could also flame out just as easy with nothing to show for it.

His major concern is the inability to process information quickly as most NFL ready players process these things quite quickly.  Patterson takes great angles making defenders miss him in the open field, shields defenders away from the ball and climbs the ladder to get to the ball at its highest point.  He is a very instinctive player who snatches the ball out of the air on one play and then horribly body catches on the very next play.  The wide receiver needs to improve his concentration and consistency, but once he has the ball in his hands, look out!

The way he uses juke moves to create separation in open spaces is quite scary as Patterson seems to always make the first defender miss. He has a fifth gear of speed that is rarely seen.  Hopefully he can go into a situation with a quarterback that can find him deep and exploit his explosiveness in space.

Here is what I saw from Patterson against the Steelers:  The rookie was used as the primary kickoff returner and Patterson did his job well.  The wide receiver averaged close to 29 yards per return while demonstrating fantastic maneuverability making defenders miss and great downfield vision.  He seemed primed to break any kickoff for a touchdown.

Patterson was mostly used in three wide receiver sets.  While the rookie was only targeted twice during the game, the pass he did not catch, might have been his best play.  On a 50+ yard bomb in the end zone, Patterson lost the position battle against corner back Ike Taylor, who stepped in front of the rookie and almost came down with the interception.  The young receiver knocked the ball out of Taylor’s hands.  On his only other target, the receiver made a pitch and catch look spectacular when Patterson caught a short screen play, juking one defender while manhandling another one for a nine yard game.

His current season total of six receptions for 82 yards is just a tip of the iceberg as Jerome Simpson’s eight targets per game should soon go to Patterson.  Imagine if Minnesota drafts or trades for a quarterback, even if they just go with Matt Cassel, the rookie’s value should soar after getting their bye week out of the way.  Patterson might not be a WR2 this season, but there is no reason to expect that he won’t turn into one for the next five to seven seasons.

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