Rookie Report Card: Dante Pettis and Chase Edmonds
Each week throughout the season, I 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, 2018 potential and long term upside.
The series continues as we take a look at Dante Pettis and Chase Edmonds.
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Dante Pettis, WR SF
Week 13 Stats: five catches, 128 receiving yards, two touchdowns (three targets)
There were a lot of things to like about Pettis coming into the NFL and most of those things came due to his speed and route running. He looked crisp out of his breaks, had great acceleration and was quick to show his return skills after making a catch, so he appeared to be a great prospect to make an impact either out of the slot or on the perimeter.
All those skills along with his apparent attention to detail when trying to get open on double moves or while working back to the quarterback as well as his skills as a deep target gave me confidence he had the potential to be a productive NFL receiver despite his inconsistent numbers at the University of Washington, particularly in the red zone.
Then Pettis landed in San Francisco in the second round of the NFL Draft with offensive wizard Kyle Shanahan and many dynasty owners (myself included) became very interested in the wideout. I was so fascinated with the possibilities that I moved Pettis from the late second round of my rankings up to the top of the second round in the days following the NFL Draft.
Pettis’ ADP ended up at 19 overall in August. While many dynasty owners may be questioning the investment due to his missing games due to injury and posting just 11 catches to this point – particularly considering the big games from other rookie receivers – Pettis should have put those doubts on ice in week 13, flashing his route running skills with regularity and displaying his excellent run-after-catch abilities on what seemed like each of his five catches.
His 17 yard catch-and-run against the Seahawks came on a stop route where he turned up-field, stiff armed a defender and got outside an excellent block from Kyle Juszscyk before outracing a group of Seattle defenders to the end zone. Later, Pettis ran a post route where he got deep on the safety and turned on the burners to beat everybody to pay dirt.
While the naysayers will contend that Pettis’ production came almost exclusively in garbage time and little can be taken from it, I saw the performance as a sign of things to come and a glimpse of his potential.
Although Pettis might not wow owners again as a rookie, I see him as an ascending player with the potential to be a WR2 for dynasty owners as he gets more experience and the 49ers get better. A great route runner with good hands, excellent speed and incredible run skills after the catch checks all the boxes. Have patience, wait for Jimmy Garoppolo to return from injury and watch how Shanahan uses his unique skill set.
Your fortitude will be rewarded.
Chase Edmonds, RB ARI
Week 13 Stats: three catches, 81 yards, one touchdown (five targets)
I’ve been a fan of Chase Edmonds going back to when I started watching his film during draft season. And I’m a bigger fan of him as I write these, but not necessarily because of his performance in week 13. More on that later.
Edmonds entered the draft as one of the most productive tailbacks available, having rushed for 5,862 yards and 67 touchdowns while adding 86 catches for 905 yards and seven more scores. Posting those numbers in the Atlantic 10 conference didn’t put him on the radar of many dynasty owners leading up to the draft, but those that dug into that production saw upside.
Despite having a reputation as an outside runner and one that preferred playing on the edge rather than between the tackles, I saw Edmonds as an incredibly quick change-of-direction back who showed great burst through the line of scrimmage and enough long speed to outrun defenders trying to play catchup. For a player with his size (5’-9”, 205 pounds), his speed appeared adequate enough to make an impact on Sundays and his ability to change directions looked was eyebrow raising.
As the NFL draft approached, Edmonds was the player who I was looking most forward towards seeing get drafted. Although many projected him as a fifth-to-seventh round selection and fringe prospect to be on the field after the pre-season, I thought he profiled as a quality change of pace runner with the potential to be a three-down back if he could transition into the NFL smoothly. Because he was immediately buried behind David Johnson, his ADP didn’t raise much despite him being a fourth round selection. And dynasty owners who were fans of Edmonds should have been thrilled with his being available in the third round of rookie drafts.
With the exception of a 28-yard burst against the Cowboys in the pre-season, Edmonds hasn’t made much of an impact as a runner since arriving in Arizona. In fact, going into week 13 against Green Bay, outside of that preseason run, he didn’t log a double-digit carry, despite logging 51 totes.
Needless to say, dynasty owners were at least concerned about his upside but that all changed in Titletown on Sunday.
Edmonds carried five times for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns in week 13 and both his scores came on very different plays. On his six-yard burst between the tackles in the second quarter he was decisive through the hole, ran downhill and broke an arm tackle from Clay Matthews. Meanwhile, his fourth-quarter touchdown came from eight yards out and featured patience as little developed between the tackles and excellent burst to out run the defense to the pylon. The performance also included a slip after making a catch only to get up and avoid a tackler to pick up eight yards and a first down as well as another powerful run that nearly got him into the end zone.
Reports of the Cardinals coaching staff wanting to get Edmonds more touches have been filtering through the media for weeks but there has been little on the field for dynasty owners to cling to while reading such news. Edmonds should have subdued any worries with his performance in Green Bay, though.
Despite being blocked from regular meaningful touches by Johnson, Edmonds should remain a high upside handcuff and developmental prospect for dynasty owners going into the off-season. While nobody hopes for an injury to Johnson, RB2 numbers wouldn’t be outside his grasp if he ever had that lead role.
And as for why I’m a bigger fan of Edmunds now than ever? He’s a big reason why the coaching change was made in Green Bay this week as opposed to later, and this Packer fan was ready for it.
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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
