Rookie Report Card: Martavis Bryant and Juwan Thompson
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.
The series continues with a closer look at Martavis Bryant and Juwan Thompson.
Martavis Bryant, WR PIT
Week Eight Stats: Five receptions, 83 yards, two touchdowns
Season Stats: Seven receptions, 123 yards, three touchdowns
When Bryant was starting his final year at Clemson, I hadn’t ever heard of him. After all, he had tallied just 19 catches over the previous two seasons while playing behind DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. Then I tuned into a Thursday night college football game last November to watch Watkins play against Georgia Tech. Although Watkins played well that night, catching two long touchdowns, it was Bryant who caught my eye. He hauled in five passes for 176 yards which included a bomb for a 76-yard touchdown where he absolutely burned the cornerback and safety over the top.
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I followed Bryant closely after that game. While most dynasty owners were drooling over Watkins (for good reason), I was far more infatuated with his teammate.
Coming out of college, Bryant had all the traits you look for in a playmaking wide out. As he showed in that matchup with the Yellow Jackets, he has blazing speed and uses it well. Although he wasn’t a particularly great route runner while in college, he was always a threat to simply run past the defender on the outside for a long score.
When the defense was able to keep up with Bryant which wasn’t very often, due to his incredible size (6’4” and 211 pounds) and leaping ability he routinely out jumped defenders for contested passes. With the ball in his hands, he then demonstrated great elusiveness to pick up yards after the catch.
During what turned out to be Bryant’s final year in college, he caught just 42 passes for 828 yards and seven touchdowns. Most (including myself) were surprised to see him declare for the draft. It was obvious he could use the extra year at Clemson to refine his below-average route running and take the opportunity to prove he could be a number one target without Watkins across the formation from him. Then he looked like one of the best receiver prospects at the scouting combine when he ran a 4.42 second 40-yard dash and posted a 39-inch vertical while also impressing in drills.
After that performance, I thought there was no chance Bryant would last past the first 75 picks in the draft. Somehow though, he wasn’t selected until the fourth round (#118 overall) by the Steelers.
After joining the Steelers, Bryant didn’t gain the trust of the Steelers’ coaching staff right away. He hauled in six passes for 68 yards and touchdown in the preseason, but was inactive for the first five games on Pittsburgh’s regular season schedule.
Then in week seven on Monday Night Football against the Texans, Bryant introduced himself to the NFL by catching two passes including a beautiful 35-touchdown on a post-fly pattern where he once again ran right passed the defender for the score. He was also targeted deep on a couple more plays in the game which pointed to Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh coaching staff trusting their rookie receiver.
On Sunday, Bryant took things to the next level. He used his incredible speed to get behind the defense for a 52-yard gain, found the opening in the Colts’ zone defense for a five-yard score in the second quarter and caught a brilliant fade in the third where he skied over the defender for a two-yard score. On the game, he caught five passes for 83 yards and those two touchdowns and was a big part of the Steelers’ game plan. In fact, the second touchdown grab was a designed pass where Bryant was the primary target for a jump ball.
Over the last two games, Bryant has shown exactly what caught my eye a year ago when I watched him play on that Thursday night – he has excellent size, great leaping ability and incredible speed. Although he hasn’t shown that he’s improved his route running to this point, Bryant’s making an impact by continuing to use his athleticism to make big plays for the Steelers. There’s no reason to think Bryant won’t continue to see targets as the season goes on and he should be considered a WR3 for fantasy players going forward.
On top of improving his route running, in order to be a long term playmaker for the Steelers and his dynasty owners Bryant will have to keep his nose clean off the field. If he can do that, although I believe he’ll be up-and-down due to his reliance on the deep ball, there’s no reason he can’t develop into a WR2 in the future. He has the potential to become Mike Wallace with a much better red zone presence.
| Rookie Report Card | ||
| Player: | ||
| Performance To Date | 2014 Potential | Long Term Upside |
| C | C+ | B+ |
Juwan Thompson, RB DEN
Week Eight Stats: Seven carries, 24 rushing yards, two touchdowns
Season Stats: 24 carries, 107 yards, three touchdowns
I’ll be honest. Thompson wasn’t on my radar during the offseason. I hadn’t watched a college football game that featured the Duke Blue Devils in years and considered his fellow free agent rookie running back Kapri Bibbs to be the better sleeper in the Broncos’ backfield coming into training camp this summer. Then he was chosen in the twelfth round of a rookie draft that I was a part of in June, two rounds after I chose Bibbs, so I decided to check out some film.
Thompson was never a featured runner while in college. In his four years on campus he was only called upon to carry the ball 274 times, gaining 1,244 yards and scoring nine times. Much better between the tackles than he is on the perimeter, Thompson is a downhill runner that is at his best when asked to make only one cut and lower his head to get what is blocked. Despite his physical playing style and nice size (5’11, 225 pounds) he doesn’t break many tackles, although he always falls forward after contact for extra yardage.
As a receiver, Thompson is solid but certainly not spectacular. He’s got reliable hands but due to his restrictions as an open field threat, isn’t a threat to do much after the catch. While at Duke, he hauled in 56 passes for 397 yards and three scores. Where Thompson does contribute in the passing game however is as a blocker. Because of his size and strength, he’s excellent when it comes to picking up the blitz no matter if he’s helping an offensive lineman or taking on a linebacker one-on-one.
Thompson was an interesting prospect coming out of college. Not because of his playmaking prowess but because of his ability to be a jack-of-all-trades. To go along with his offensive responsibilities, he contributed on defense for the Blue Devils over his final two years on campus, compiling 15 tackles from the safety position.
When he was signed by the Broncos after the draft, Thompson was no higher than fifth on the depth chart behind Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman, C.J. Anderson and Bibbs. During the preseason though, he took advantage of the opportunities given to him by rushing for 143 yards on 29 carries (7.2 YPC) and catching three passes for 23 yards. Although he was playing primarily against third and fourth string defenders, Thompson was impressive. He attacked the line of scrimmage, got what was blocked and was very good protecting the passer. Also playing well on special teams, he beat out Bibbs for the fourth running back spot on Denver’s roster.
Since the season started, Thompson has picked up right where he left off in the preseason by continuing to take advantage of every chance he’s gotten. Now playing a reserve role since Ball went down to injury, Thompson has averaged 4.5 yards per carry on 24 totes. He’s also scored three times including two that he vultured from Hillman in short yardage on Thursday night against the Chargers.
I only saw about 50 of Thompson’s college carries but I’ve seen nearly every one of his pro touches, both in the preseason and the regular season. Although that’s not a lot, I believe I have a pretty good feel for what he can contribute to an NFL offense and to dynasty owners.
Overall, I believe Thompson is an overachiever who is playing in an ideal situation and is probably only on an NFL roster because he’s a competent runner, good blocker and good special teams player. I still believe he’s the fourth best running back on the Broncos’ roster and as soon as Ball comes back from injury, won’t see the field offensively.
Thompson is a good player to have on your roster if you’re an NFL general manager because of his flexibility and smarts – but he shouldn’t be part of the long term plans of any dynasty owners. If I had him on a dynasty team and could get anything for him in trade (including Bibbs who was recently added to the 53-man roster of the Broncos), I’d take it without a second thought.
| Rookie Report Card | ||
| Player: Juwan Thompson | ||
| Performance To Date | 2014 Potential | Long Term Upside |
| C- | C- | D |
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