Rookie Report Card: Kenneth Dixon and Paul Perkins
Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and covering 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, 2016 potential and long term upside.
The series continues with a look at a pair of rookie tailbacks, Kenneth Dixon and Paul Perkins.
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Kenneth Dixon, RB BAL
Week 15 Stats: nine carries, 36 rushing yards, one touchdown
Dixon was one of my favorite targets along the first/second round turn in rookie drafts this off-season. A bulldozer of a tailback coming out of Louisiana Tech, he profiled as a powerful runner between the tackles with shifty feet and excellent vision to find running lanes. Also displaying great burst through the hole, he runs behind his pads well and looks for contact as he reaches the second level. Punishing, he breaks tackles as well or better than any rookie tailback in the 2016 class. With a smooth jump cut and solid stiff arm along with his bruising running style, he gets everything he can out of each of his carries.
Because of his fierce running style, Dixon is an excellent short yardage and goal line back. Able to simply run through tacklers, he also uses good balance to stay on his feet with tacklers draped around his legs. He has an uncanny ability to contort his body and lunge forward before stretching the ball out to punch it into the end zone or past the sticks.
Additionally, he displayed excellent hands throughout his time in college and was lethal after the catch as he would instantly become that same punishing runner after making the catch, running over undersized defensive backs with ease.
Needless to say, I was thrilled when he ended up in Baltimore. His powerful running style mixed with his soft hands made him a perfect fit to replace the mess of running backs in Baltimore and become the future at the position for the Ravens.
Although Dixon hasn’t taken the league by storm since being drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the NFL draft, I’m still waiting patiently for his breakout and am convinced it’s coming.
After missing the start to the season due to an injured knee, Dixon has been brought along slowly since returning in week five. Although he’s still splitting reps with Terrance West, it’s obvious that he’s the most talented running back in Baltimore.
Over the last six weeks, Dixon has carried the ball 51 times for 258 yards (5.06 YPC) and a touchdown.
Much like he showed in college, Dixon has looked his best between the tackles as a one-cut runner that gets up field immediately. Impressively however, he’s made a few plays as a perimeter runner over the last handful of weeks despite his speed at the combine (4.58 40 time) which made some question if he’d be able to get the edge or break runs into the secondary as much as he did while playing in Conference USA.. His 16-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter on Sunday against the Eagles came on an outside pitch. Although he wasn’t touched until he got inside the five yard line, he still showed on the play that he can get the edge. Dixon has also shown his pass catching chops recently against the Patriots in week 14 when he caught an eight-yard touchdown on a swing pass.
Overall, Dixon is an all-around running back that should be getting more opportunities in Baltimore but hasn’t, simply because West has played above his head. At some point, the cream is going to rise to the top and Dixon will take over as the starter and get the lion’s share of the touches.
At this point, I’d actually prefer that Dixon continues to split time for the remainder of 2017, only because it will make it easier to acquire him over the off-season. He’s a solid flex play for the rest of the year as part of a committee, but Dixon is one of my favorite trade targets for this off-season due to his RB1 upside that he may realize as soon as next season when he’s sure to take over as the man in the Charm City.
Paul Perkins, RB NYG
Week 15 Stats: 11 carries, 56 rushing yards
Perkins is similar to Dixon as he was also a mid-round draft pick (5th round, 149 overall), is splitting time in a backfield and had to wait a few weeks to make his NFL debut – although he didn’t miss time due to injury. That’s where the similarities end, however.
More lightning than thunder, Perkins proved at UCLA that he can make tacklers miss with dazzling cuts, a quick spin move and flashy cut back. Quick to make a decision on a running lane, he’s got good explosiveness that gets him to the second level in a blink whether he’s running between the tackles or trying to get the edge.
If Perkins showed a weakness in college, it was due to his lack of ability to break tackles. Appearing to be smaller than his size (5’-10”, 208 pounds) suggests, he chooses to try to juke defenders rather than run through them. While he’s often effective at making tacklers whiff, the lack of physicality limits him as a short-yardage and goal line runner and keeps him from breaking tackles.
Since making his debut in week three, Perkins has carried 76 times for 286 yards (3.76 YPC) while also chipping in 14 receptions for 153 yards (10.9 YPR). Yet to find the end zone and stuck in a nearly equal timeshare with Rashad Jennings, he continues to struggle to break tackles and hasn’t made many big plays as either a runner or a receiver outside of the 67-yard screen pass where he ran through a tackle against the Vikings way back in week four.
On Sunday against the Lions Perkins was relatively effective, running for 56 yards on 11 carries (5.1 YPC) but once again really didn’t make a splash play. He got what was blocked and made a pair of nice cuts to turn two or three yard runs into five or six yard runs but couldn’t shake the free defender to spring for a big gain. He also failed to contribute as a pass catcher which shouldn’t surprise many as he never showed in college he would be a difference maker as a receiver.
Perkins never really got my attention in the off-season as a tailback I needed on my dynasty teams because although he is slippery and can make defenders miss, he can’t run through contact and hasn’t proved that he can transition his quickness and the ability to make defenders miss in the open field into being a dynamic pass catcher and become a difference making third down back. Perkins appears to be a nice rotational NFL tailback with the potential to make a couple big plays per year. Unfortunately however, that doesn’t translate into much fantasy value.
Despite the lack of playmakers on the Giants’ roster at the position, Perkins’ limitations along with him playing in Ben McAdoo’s offense make me confident I didn’t miss anything when I passed on him in rookie drafts.
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