Rookie Report Card: Zay Jones and Corey Clement
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, 2017 potential and long term upside.
The series continues with a look at Zay Jones and Corey Clement.
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Zay Jones, WR BUF
Week Nine Stats: six receptions, 53 yards, one touchdown (seven targets)
One of my favorite games to watch every year is the Senior Bowl. As a guy who watches Big Ten football almost exclusively, I watch the Senior Bowl with a notebook so I can write down notes in case something noteworthy happens by a player not from the best conference in college football. It seems like a player or two jumps out every year as a future dynasty star. This year, that guy was Jones.
When he made that brilliant catch and tapped his toes in the back of the end zone that day in Mobile, I jotted down Jones’ name. When the announcers went on to mention he caught 158 passes for 1,746 yards in his final year at East Carolina, I put a star next to it. I would’ve gotten around to looking into Jones eventually, I’m sure. Then, he adjusted perfectly to an over the shoulder throw to catch a 43-yard touchdown (that got brought back due to penalty) later in the game. Good-bye notebook! I typed his name into YouTube immediately.
After spending the time between plays of the second half of the Senior Bowl watching Jones’ highlight reel catches on my laptop, I was an instant fan of the former ECU Pirate.
With hands as good as anybody I’ve watched coming out of college over the last handful of seasons, Jones caught everything thrown his direction in college. Tall (6’-2”, 201 pounds) and physical with the ability to catch the ball away from his body and at its highest point, he proved that he’s comfortable making tough catches over the middle or outjumping a defender for an errant throw. Also showing incredible field awareness, he seems to always know exactly where he is on the field – running perfectly timed routes just beyond the line to gain and tapping his toes in bounds when making a catch along the boundary.
I was convinced after seeing Jones run hundreds of routes that he would be a first round pick in both the NFL draft and rookie drafts. Although that wasn’t a very popular opinion – particularly after he posted a very pedestrian 4.45 40 time and just a 36.5-inch vertical at the combine – I couldn’t help but feel Jones had the ball skills to make a big impact at the next level.
Although he didn’t get selected in round one, when Jones was picked 37th overall by the Bills I instantly moved him to the middle of the first round in my rookie rankings. Ranking him so highly, it’s not a surprise that I have him in most of my dynasty leagues.
Despite his relatively slow start as a rookie, I don’t regret it one bit.
Jones easily had his biggest fantasy game in week nine, catching six passes for 53 yards and a pretty 10-yard touchdown. His score came on third and nine with the Jets in off coverage. Running a simple post route, he got the defensive back to turn his hips to the outside with a subtle jab step to the pylon before darting back to the inside and catching the ball. The route was a thing a beauty and showed exactly why I instantly liked Jones coming out of college.
While it’s true that few – if any – dynasty owners have been able to put Jones in a starting lineup yet, we should all continue to stay patient with the young receiver. An underrated route runner with great hands, it’s only a matter of time until Jones is regularly putting up stat lines like the one he did this week.
Despite posting just 16 catches for 168 yards and one touchdown on 44 targets in his first eight games as a pro, Jones is one of my favorite developmental wide receivers in dynasty and is dripping with WR2 upside. If I didn’t already own him nearly everywhere, I’d be sending out offers now – in preparation for the breakout that is coming in 2018.
Corey Clement, RB PHI
Week Nine Stats: 12 carries, 51 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, one reception, 15 receiving yards, one touchdown catch
As a big fan of the Wisconsin Badgers, I had the opportunity to watch Clement play regularly over the last few years. And contrary to what you may expect from a Badgers fan, I’ve never been particularly high on his NFL upside.
Although Clement showed he can be a powerful runner with enough speed and athleticism to make a big play when rushing lanes develop in front of him, he was always a better runner than he was a running back while in Madison. Often slamming into the back of his offensive lineman when a hole was filled and constantly failing to set up a blocks on the perimeter or at the second level due to a lack of patience, he rarely showed a good understanding of what it takes to be more than a home run threat at the tailback position.
It was maddening to watch.
Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when he went undrafted in April.
Since landing with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent, Clement has been a pleasant surprise for dynasty owners that invested a late rookie pick in him. Despite averaging just 3.8 yards per carry in the pre-season, he made Philadelphia’s roster as their fourth tailback and has worked his way into regular carries.
On Sunday against the Broncos, Clement handled the ball 13 times for 66 total yards and three touchdowns. Although he no doubt benefited from good blocking, he was decisive and showed excellent quickness throughout the game. His touchdown catch in the first quarter was especially impressive. Hauling in the screen pass in the middle of the field, he patiently ran directly behind his lead blocker, Brandon Brooks, and quickly cut behind his block at the five-yard line before darting into the end zone.
I was shocked it was Clement making that play. For one thing, he was rarely used as a pass catcher in college and disappointed regularly when he did get opportunities. Also, it seemed so far out of his character to wait behind his right guard rather than blasting past him only to get tackled in front of the blocker. I had to look twice when the announcer said it was him.
Clement looked good throughout the game. He showed good perimeter speed on a two-yard touchdown that came on an option play, and impressive power on his four-yard touchdown late in the game where he bulldozed linebacker Kasim Edebali over the goal line.
Overall, Clement has impressed throughout his rookie campaign. Accounting for 228 yards and five touchdowns, he has carved a part-time role out for himself on one of the top offenses in the league which makes his a name to watch as we progress through 2017. With all that said however, he’ll continue to battle Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and Wendell Smallwood for touches which doesn’t lend itself to much short term fantasy relevance.
While I’ve been pleasantly surprised with his performance and it’s certainly possible that he’s fine-tuning his game now that he’s in the NFL, I’m still convinced Clement doesn’t have the makings of a full-time NFL runner which caps his dynasty upside.
While he’s proven that he can put up numbers in a great offense, the Eagles’ depth chart and the deficiencies he showed in college make me skeptical Clement will ever be a regular in fantasy lineups. If a fellow owner thought he could be more than a part-timer, I’d be happy to sell the former Badger.
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- League Tycoon: Dynasty Salary Cap Fantasy Football - December 15, 2023
- Final Dynasty Rookie Report Card: Wide Receivers, Part Two - March 22, 2023
- 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Offensive Player Dynasty Review - March 10, 2023
