Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Dallas Goedert, TE PHI

Ryan Finley Posted On May 18, 2018

Editor’s Note: To help you dominate your rookie drafts, this series will feature a look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of over 40 dynasty rookie draft prospects and run all through the month of May and even into June. We’ll cover all the premier prospects but also give you critical information on some of the lesser known talents. All of these rookie updates will be loaded into our ever-evolving 2018 Rookie Draft Guide – the ultimate resource for dynasty enthusiasts all over the world.

Name: Dallas Goedert

Position: Tight End

Pro Team: Philadelphia Eagles

College Team: South Dakota State

Draft Position: Round two, 49th overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

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COMBINE REVIEW

Height: 6’5”
Weight: 256 lbs
Hands: 10 1/4”
Arm Length: 34 7/8”
Bench Press: 23 Reps
40 Yard Dash: Not Available
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.06 Seconds*
60 Yard Shuttle: Not Available
3-Cone Drill: 6.87 Seconds*
Broad Jump: 121”*
Vertical Jump: 35”*

* Pro Day measurements

STRENGTHS

Goedert is a beast. Plain and simple. He looks like a wide receiver out on the field, yet he’s 6’5” and 256 pounds. South Dakota State used him in all kinds of ways, because it’s obvious from the tape that he was their best weapon, period. He’s smooth, athletic and powerful, and they looked for him all the time. He makes fantastic catches and can punish defenders trying to make a tackle. He looks the part of a pro-quality tight end.

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Goedert has decent route running and very good hands in most situations. He has great body control and can adjust to poorly thrown balls or balls behind him and snatch them out of the air. He does this without breaking stride while keeping his forward momentum. I love to watch Goedert carry defenders for extra yards after the catch.

Goedert is also not afraid of contact, but rather likes to seek out a player to hit. He doesn’t just lower his shoulder and slam into an opponent and fall down, either. He delivers the hit and keeps moving forward for additional yards, as I mentioned above. His willingness to find contact also translates to some fairly good blocking. He blocked not just in the passing game but also helped out in the run game. He has decent technique (not perfect, mind you) and looks like a player who could really learn how to block in the NFL game.

WEAKNESSES

Ordinarily, the most interesting tight ends from a fantasy perspective are poor (or nonexistent) blockers. That is not the case with Goedert, but he does have one glaring and a couple other minor weakness.

The glaring weakness? The competition. You probably don’t even know who the mascot for South Dakota State is (the Jackrabbits) and that says a lot. He looks astounding on tape, but there is some chance this is due to the level of competition he is facing. It’s hard to say, but we will find out soon enough if his skills translate at the next level.

Goedert is also a decent route runner, but he isn’t great. He sometimes tips off his intentions down the middle of the field, and he isn’t as crisp with his route running as I’d like. I’d also mention that he isn’t going to make a lot of players miss in space. The only other weakness I’d note here is that Goedert does suffer the occasional drop. He can make circus catches, as evidenced in his highlight reel, but his hands weren’t always perfect.

OPPORTUNITIES

The good news about Goedert’s landing spot in Philadelphia is that their second tight end (and we’ll talk about the starter below) Trey Burton headed out to Chicago. Therefore Goedert has a good shot at the number two tight end role in an Eagles offense that was very strong most of the season. We have also seen some offenses in the past support two strong tight end options (think of the Patriots when they had both Rob Gronkowski and the late Aaron Hernandez.) Perhaps this could happen again in the City of Brotherly Love.

THREATS

This is a tough area for Goedert. He landed on the defending Super Bowl champions, but he does not have a clear path to the kind of usage we’d like to have out of a starting tight end. He has to get past Zach Ertz, the TE3 in PPR last season. That’s an awfully big hurdle for Goedert to clear.

To add to the difficulty here, Ertz just signed a five-year extension with the Eagles that could keep him on the team until 2022. Ouch. However, who knows what will happen when Carson Wentz comes knocking for his next contract, as it’ll be a doozy.

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

Looking at the situation logically, the short-term expectations for Goedert aren’t all that high. As we well know, tight ends often take time to pay off as it is, and since Goedert will start off second in line at best, we have to fade his expected early returns even more.

However, there could be situations that would change this. Last season, Ertz did miss two games, and Burton found himself with good work in both cases, scoring 12 PPR points against the Broncos and then 24 PPR points against the Rams. Goedert also showed that he can block for the running game, including coming across the formation and cut blocking edge rushers, and I think this could get him on the field at least a bit. Goedert’s outlook short-term isn’t rosy, but it isn’t a black hole, either.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

It could take longer than we hope, but I have to believe Goedert’s traits will ultimately win him plenty of usage in the NFL. If he can perform like he did at South Dakota State, I can’t fathom him spending all that much time on the sidelines. I could see Goedert being a dominating tight end in the league. And though Zach Ertz has been good, I’d never refer to him as a dominant player.

The only question for me is when it happens. But honestly I’m not going to try to dissect the possibilities, I just believe talent will win out in the end. And I love Goedert’s talent.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

Now please realize I don’t make this comparison lightly, but I think Goedert has a profile akin to Travis Kelce. He’s big, strong and athletic and can do everything you want out of the tight end position. He just has that look of a man among boys at times, and that’s what I see out of the Kelce and Gronk tight end phylum.

I’ve seen other comparisons like Ertz and Jack Doyle, but I think those comparisons sell Goedert short a little. If his game translates, he will be dominant.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

If Goedert had landed anywhere with a real need at tight end, I think he could have easily been a late first round rookie pick. Even with a middling landing spot, I think he would have gone by the mid second at least.

But that didn’t happen. Many people (myself included) were quite disappointed in his landing spot due to the presence of Zach Ertz. I think this drops what I see as an uber-talented tight end to the third round in most rookie drafts. You can virtually guarantee he makes your squad in the late second, but he was the 27th player off the board in May rookie ADP.

While I understand the landing spot is really tough, I will be glad to scoop up a talent like Goedert in the third. You might have to wait for this pick to develop, but I think it’s a seed well worth owning.

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