Rookie Report Card: Week One

Dan Meylor

hurns

I’ve decided to put my own spin on the concept of a rookie report card. Going forward, the Rookie Report Card will be exactly what it sounds like, a report card.

Not only will I cover my expectations for the player coming into the league and 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, 2014 potential and long term upside. Each week I’ll cover at least two rookies and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week.

Let’s get started with a couple receivers that had big debuts on Sunday.

Allen Hurns, WR JAX
Week One Stats: Four receptions, 110 yards, two touchdowns
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There isn’t a better place to start off our Rookie Report Card series than with Hurns, an undrafted rookie out of Miami.

After catching everything thrown his way in the preseason (14 catches for 232 yards and a touchdown), Hurns was named the number three receiver for the Jags going into week one. Over the last week, he was picked up in free agency in many dynasty leagues but certainly wasn’t a priority add. When he got the call to start in week one against the Eagles due to the hamstring injury to Cecil Shorts, a few more dynasty owners added the rookie receiver but he was still ignored in most leagues, despite our urging.

After catching two touchdowns in the first quarter in Philadelphia on Sunday, dynasty owners will likely have a little more urgency when considering Hurns for a roster spot. But should they?

There’s a reason Hurns wasn’t selected in the draft this spring. Although he posted 121 receptions for 1,891 yards and 14 touchdowns in his time on campus, he was far from a star player for the ‘Canes. A role player with upside until his final year on campus when he caught 62 balls for 1,162 yards and six scores, Hurns was a deep threat that lacked top end speed or the ability to win jump balls. He rarely went across the middle and didn’t seem to like contact when running after the catch.

At the combine, Hurns posted a 4.55 second 40-yard dash and only a 31-inch vertical which confirmed the belief that he didn’t possess elite skills. When he arrived in Jacksonville, speculation was that Hurns was only added because of his connection with Jaguars offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch (who was previously the offensive coordinator at Miami) but he quickly made a splash in training camp and the preseason.

Hurns has shown very good route running skills and anticipation since joining the Jaguars. He’s excelled when getting off the line of scrimmage and also displayed the ability to catch inaccurate passes which has helped with Chad Henne throwing him passes. His run after the catch prowess has also been impressive since joining the team.

All of those traits (and more) were on display on Sunday. Not only was he able to get open with sharp routes, he displayed good hands and broke tackles after the catch, completely disregarding his reputation from college as a soft receiver. He was especially impressive on his second touchdown. Getting open to make the catch between the corner and safety and breaking a tackle to find pay dirt.

At this point, it’s impossible for dynasty owners to ignore Hurns. He was a playmaker for the Jaguars throughout the preseason and took it to the next level in week one. With that said, we also shouldn’t forget that he only got his chance because of injuries to Shorts and Allen Robinson as well as a suspension to Ace Sanders.

Going forward, it would be irresponsible to expect any kind of consistent production from Hurns. At some point, Shorts will get healthy and regain his spot as a starter and Robinson will eventually catch up to the rest of the receivers on the team after falling behind because of his hamstring injury.

Although Hurns looks to have a role in the offense in the immediate future and was quite impressive in his debut, second-round draft picks Marquis Lee and Robinson will get every opportunity to overtake him on the depth chart over the next year and Shorts will be hard to overcome. Dynasty owners should expect Hurns to have a role over the next few weeks and potentially the rest of the season but unless the receiving corps continues to experience trouble with injuries, his upside is limited.

To read more on Hurns, check out Jaron Foster’s feature on him from a week ago.

Rookie Report Card
Player: Allen Hurns
Performance To Date 2014 Potential Long Term Upside
A B- C-

Brandin Cooks, WR NO
Week One Stats: Seven receptions, 77 receiving yards, one touchdown, one carry, 18 rushing yards

If you drafted Cooks in the first five picks of your rookie draft this off-season, you’re probably thrilled with what you saw on Sunday. 86 of his 95 yards from scrimmage happened in the first half against the Falcons and it was clear out of the gate that Sean Payton has big plans for the rookie out of Oregon State.

Although he was highly touted coming out of college and joining one of the most potent offenses in the NFL, I had concerns about how consistent Cooks would be at the next level. After all, Payton has a history of spreading the ball out among the many weapons he’s had over his years as head coach of the Saints.

Through one week of his career, it appears my concerns are ill-conceived.

In college, Cooks profiled as the ultimate slot receiver at the next level. 5’10” tall and 190 pounds, he runs effortlessly through his routes and moves fluidly out of his breaks. He’s lightning quick and deadly after the catch, always displaying incredible balance and eye-popping elusiveness.

At the scouting combine in Indianapolis, Cooks cemented himself as one of the top receiving prospects in the class. He glided to a very impressive 4.33 second 40-yard dash and made each receiving drill look easy. When he was picked by the Saints, most saw it as a perfect landing spot and dynasty owners salivated at his potential in New Orleans’ high octane offense.

In the first half on Sunday Cooks wasn’t just a part of the Saints’ game plan, he was the game plan. Payton force fed the ball to his newest playmaker, calling Cooks’ number three times on their first nine play drive. Cooks converted those targets into three catches for 48 yards.

After not being targeted in the next drive Payton made sure Cooks got the ball on their third possession, handing it to him on first-and-10 for 18 yards. He was targeted again later in the drive in the red zone on third-and-three from the 11 yard line, making the grab for nine yards.

On the Saints’ fourth and final drive of the half, Cooks was targeted three more times (although one was negated by penalty) and hauled in two more passes for 11 yards and a three yard touchdown on a beautiful slant route.

In the second half, Cooks was targeted twice. Once in the red zone (again) where he was open for the score on a seam route from the right slot but resulted in an underthrown interception. The other target he got in the second half went for a nine yard gain on third-and-five in the fourth quarter.

Perhaps the most impressive part about the Cooks’ part in the game plan on Sunday was his role in the red zone. He was targeted three times around the goal line, converting one for a touchdown and the other for a first down, almost scoring again. He could have added another score in the second half had Brees not delivered the ball too late, which doesn’t happen often. Out of college, many considered Cooks to be a playmaker from anywhere on the field but not necessarily a red zone threat due to his lack of size. If he’s gets regular targets inside the 20 yard line, his upside will go through the roof.

At this point, the story with Cooks is not his skills. We’ve all heard and read countless times how talented he is. Today, the story is that the Saints’ offensive game plan will likely have a lot of Cooks in it going forward. And that makes him the rookie with perhaps the most upside of any in this class, both short and long term. He should be considered a candidate to be your WR2 in PPR leagues as soon as this week at Cleveland and a WR3 in standard leagues. The sky is the limit from there.

Rookie Report Card
Player: Brandin Cooks
Performance To Date 2014 Potential Long Term Upside
A A A+

 Follow me on Twitter: @dmeylor22

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dan meylor