Rookie Report Card: Week Twelve

In my weekly column, we take a longer look at  another two rookies.  I will compare their performance to date against my original expectations of them.  Let’s continue the 2013 series by looking back at one player that most assuredly was not drafted in your rookie draft or the NFL Draft Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin and his classmate, the highly regarded Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz.

Matt McGloin, QB OAK

Here is what I saw in college from McGloin:  The gritty signal caller is not a typical quarterback who gets noticed by the NFL.  McGloin does the little things well as he is good at selling fake handoffs as well as pump fakes while having an accurate arm from zero to twenty yards down the field.  The ball tends to flutter the longer the pass he attempts, but the quarterback moves well in the pocket and can avoid the blitz by stepping up in the pocket or moving side to side.  McGloin will not beat you with great athleticism, but by remaining calm in the face of adversity.

The young quarterback goes through his progressions down the field and does not focus on one or two of his initial reads.  Due to his lack of arm strength, he makes quick decisions and does a good placing the ball where only the intended receiver can get to the ball.  I am concerned when he throws off-balance as it leads to inaccurate throws that are more likely to be intercepted.  If McGloin finds himself in a quarterback friendly system that has quick reads and a short passing game, he could become a very good backup quarterback and an occasional part-time situational starter.  Despite his size, 6′ 1″ and 210 lbs, the quarterback is a leader who can inspire others around him as he led Penn State to a 8-4 record after the controversy that tore their college program apart.

This is what I saw from McGloin against the Cowboys: The former walk-on quarterback who fought adversity to even make the Raiders 53 man roster senses pressure well and gets rid of the ball quickly.  He is accurate within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage and goes through his progressions.  It’s his calmness under pressure that is easily recognizable as he is willing to stand tough in the pocket and wait for the play to develop without getting happy feet.

I wouldn’t read too much into either of his turnovers on Thanksgiving as one was a mishandled snap inside the Raiders ten yard line that he pulled away from center too quickly or his forced corner end zone pick trying to rally his team back from deficit in the fourth quarter.  McGloin used everything he had at his disposal to keep the Raiders in the game.

It’s not to say there weren’t a few bad throws including some low targets as well as a few that got placed behind the receivers, but the young signal caller rallied back. The rookie made his most accurate attempts while throwing towards the sidelines and high in the air to let his receivers climb the ladder to get to the ball.  There were at least seven passes that hit the receiver in stride taking advantage of their balance and speed to gain extra yardage.  When McGloin got the chance to step up in the pocket, he took advantage of the depleted Cowboys secondary.  He showed no fear attempting passes into double coverage, but lost more battles than he won in those situations.

While I like McGloin’s grittiness and leadership, it seems to be far-fetched to believe in the rookie as more than a replacement level quarterback on your dynasty or keeper team.  He is a good QB3 with upside in deeper leagues, but will probably never be more than an injury replacement level player.

Zach Ertz, TE PHI

These are some of the observations of Ertz during his time in college:  The young playmaker led the Stanford Cardinals in receiving from his hybrid tight end/wide receiver spot. He runs sharp, controlled routes and catches the ball at its highest point without breaking stride. Ertz is an adequate blocker in the run game and built trust with his quarterback to come back to him when the play broke down.

I was most impressed with his 43-yard catch down the middle of the field that helped break the bowl game open. Despite having a safety draped all over him, he tracked the ball in the air, adjusted to it and made a difficult reception near the end zone.  His lack of physicality is a bit concerning, but hopefully he will be featured in a pass-first offense that will take advantage of his athleticism. He is running neck and neck with Tyler Eifert as my top rookie tight end.

Here is what I gleamed during Ertz’s game against the Cardinals: I guess I picked the best day to watch Ertz play as he was on the field for the most snaps (38) and caught five of his six targets for 68 yards and two touchdowns.  The first play that I noticed him was when the rookie pushed the pile to help his fellow tight end, Brent Celek, get a first down.   On his first target and touchdown of the day, the young tight end ran a drag route across the end zone and made a leaping catch with a step on the safety near the pylon.

Ertz is more of a super-sized receiver than a tight end.  The Eagles have him line up all over the field: on the line at tight end, outside wide, or in the slot.  There was a bit more effort made in his run blocking, but he won’t remind anyone of Jason Witten in that regard.

I love the way he stretches to grab the ball at its highest point and he makes it look effortless with his good body control, cortorting to  ball in mid-air.  Catching the ball between the safety and linebacker was not an issue for him as Ertz kept on moving forward despite taking hard shots.  There were a few battles between him and the Honey Badger with Ertz coming out ahead. His second touchdown was even better than his first as the young tight end ran a post pattern, got a step on his coverage, and adjusted to the ball in the air to come down with it.

I’m not sold that there will be enough targets for him on a weekly basis unless something happens to one of their premier play makers (DeSean Jackson or LeSean McCoy) first, but he is a great dynasty TE2 to flex especially in tight end premium leagues.

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