20/20: Deon Cain
Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we will be profiling 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2018 by giving you 20 facts you must know.
1.) Player name –Â Deon Cain
2.) College – Clemson
3.) Height/Weight – 6’1″, 190-210
4.) Birth date – 08/09/96 (21)
5.) Class – Junior
6.) Basic college stats –Â 2015: 34-582-5. 2016: 38-724-9. 2017: 58-734-6. Cain totaled 130 catches, 2,040 yards and 20 touchdowns in his college career.
7.) NFL Draft round projection – Cain has a wide range of possible outcomes in the draft. Matt Miller had him going in the third round in a recent mock. Walter Football considers him more of a fifth-round prospect and I’ve seen mocks where he’s been snagged in the second. We’ll get a much better idea of his range after the Combine.
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8.) Current NFL comparison –Â Physically, he falls into the bracket of players who aren’t huge but aren’t ‘small’ either. If Cain does weigh in the 210-plus range; think Davante Adams, Michael Crabtree, and Pierre Garcon in look. Similarly to those men, he might be capable of carving out a strong role, but he’ll need to do it with a combination of stand out skills and constant improvement.
9.) Best possible destination –Â Cain’s best case scenario would actually be if he ended up in a receiving group that has clear talent ahead of him. His best outing was in his sophomore year when number one wideout Mike Williams hogged the targets and underneath work (98-1,361-11) which allowed Cain to utilize his downfield ability and average 19.1 yards per catch.
I believe he’d fit in well as a Giant, an Eagle, a Bengal, or anywhere else he could line up as a second outside receiver across from a clear number one.
10.) Worst possible destination –Â While it’s hard to say what certain situations will look like with a ton of quarterback changes about to happen across the league, one of the typical crowded situations without a top QB might doom him. Think Buffalo, Miami (without Landry), New York (Jets), Baltimore, Jacksonville (without Robinson) and so on.
11.) Best current skill –Â His deep speed, strength and separation skills. While most analysts wouldn’t necessarily call him a ‘burner’, Cain has outstanding speed when he gets going – and crazy acceleration an extra step of acceleration at the end of his routes. To imagine how this skill translates, think of DeSean Jackson in the final few yards of any ball that looks slightly overthrown – he just has an extra gear. While Cain doesn’t have Jackson’s speed, he has his own extra gear. He also uses his body and frame well – even if it’s not a big one.
12.) Skill that needs to be improved –Â Overall consistency. The splash plays and flashes of excellence are clear to see – just watch his highlights – but if he is capable of great things, why has his production been so minimal? With 58 catches, 734 yards, and nine touchdowns as his maximums in any given season, it’s hard to see him suddenly putting it all together in the pros. It could take a lot of honing for Cain to be a viable starter.
13.) Past/current rookie ADP – Cain was at the 20th overall mark in our February rookie ADP (ninth among receivers), however all the way down at 27 among rookies in the full February dynasty ADP. Our rankers have him at 17th overall, with a high of 13 and a low of 30.
14.) Projected dynasty value –Â When I tell you that Calvin Ridley and James Washington came in at 32nd and 33rd among receivers in the February ADP data, you’ll know how hard it is for any receiver to crack the top group at the moment. Kelvin Benjamin is 48th, Pierre Garcon 59th, and Julian Edelman 67th. For Cain to have an impact like any of those players have over the next couple of seasons would be impressive, so that tells you the standard of dynasty contributors he’ll be competing against.
If Cain is taken early in the second round, lands in what is deemed to be a great situation, he’ll still only likely slot in at about the 40-50 range among receivers, and maybe the top 100 of dynasty players overall. And that’s the best possible value scenario right now.
15.) What makes Cain ‘special’? – As mentioned above, there are a ton of talented receivers in the NFL right now. So, even if he can boost his stock within this class, can he prove himself worthy of taking a starting role in this league? While Cain has his positives (speed, ball-tracking and the way he uses his body), it’s hard to find ‘special’ traits that will make him effective on your fantasy teams in the near future. My biggest concern is that he’ll be just another body – and that won’t provide us with points.
16.) What happened in 2017? – His freshman season was impressive, and the improvements as a sophomore were clear. He played more games (11-15) and had more catches (34-38), yards (582-724) and TDs (5-9). However, rather than filling scouts and analysts with confidence with another jump in his junior campaign, Cain’s catches only went up by 20 (58) and yards only up by ten (734). His yards-per-catch average dropped from 19.1 to 12.7, and those nine touchdowns fell to six. Was it losing Deshaun Watson? Did he struggle to be a top option? Has he reached his peak? That’s what NFL teams will be attempting to determine.
17.) Clemson receivers – Cain is yet another wideout in a long list of current NFL receivers from Clemson. Mike Williams, Martavis Bryant, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins are the biggest names. However, there’s a mixed bag. Artavis Scott, Jordan Leggett, and Charone Peake haven’t amounted to a whole lot of anything. Where will Cain fall?
18.) High ceiling? – Last off-season, as the media looked ahead to this year’s draft, there were certainly a few mock drafters who believed Cain was a first-round pick. While he didn’t prove himself in 2017, it’s sometimes the case that players simply have a down year. For example, JuJu Smith-Schuster dropped by close to 30 catches and 500 yards in his final college season after being arguably the top overall dynasty asset in that class before the campaign. However, JuJu still had much better overall numbers and one outstanding season in the middle. Cain never hit those heights – can he do it in the NFL?
19.) Drug suspension – In 2015, he failed a drug test right before the college football playoffs, and missed the 2015 Orange Bowl and a 45-40 defeat to Alabama in the 2016 National Championship – a game which he’s said he couldn’t even bear to watch.
20.) Redemption – Cain bounced back from the devastating suspension to have his breakout season, and topped it off by helping his team defeat Alabama in the 2017 National Championship, 35-31. He had five grabs for 94 yards and managed to make up for his bad decision the previous year.
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As well as editing for DLF, James writes for Sky Sports and can be found on Twitter at @JS_Football
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