Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Jalen Hurd, WR/RB SF

Kyle Holden Posted On May 23, 2019

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Name: Jalen Hurd

Position: Wide Receiver

Pro Team: San Francisco 49ers

College Team: Baylor

Draft Status: Round three, 67th overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

You can find more Jalen Hurd videos here.

COMBINE REVIEW

Height: 6’5”
Weight: 226 pounds
Arms: 32”
Hands: 10 ¼”
40-Yard dash: 4.64 seconds
Bench press: 23 reps
Vertical jump: 35.50”
Broad jump: 124.0”
20-Yard shuttle: 4.15 seconds

STRENGTHS

Versatility to line up all over the field and play multiple positions
Early career background as a running back adds to versatility
Size and length
Good feet and agility, especially for someone his size

WEAKNESSES

Limited route tree with not much experience outside the numbers
Raw at the wide receiver position
Not clear what is role will be in the NFL

OPPORTUNITIES

Jalen Hurd can be a versatile weapon in an offense, so it is encouraging to see him land in a system with one of the most respected offensive coaches in the league in Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco also made a good investment on Hurd with an early third-round pick.

It remains to be seen how Kyle Shanahan will use him in his offense, but the day-two selection indicates they have a plan for him. Possibly a better real-life than fantasy contributor, Hurd could become a “Swiss-army knife” in the 49er offense playing snaps at running back, wide receiver, and even tight end.

THREATS

While I am not sold the 49ers have a true “wide receiver one” on their current roster, they do have competent players at each offensive position, including an elite tight end in George Kittle. Dante Pettis had a good rookie season and the 49ers also selected Deebo Samuel in the second round of this year’s draft. Do not forget about Marquise Goodwin either.

At running back, Jerick McKinnon returns from a torn ACL and the team also signed Tevin Coleman to a two-year deal. Matt Breida is still there as well. He played well last year despite battling numerous ankle and knee injuries.

Kittle figures to lead the team in targets once again but quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo could elect to spread the ball around quite a bit after him. It will be difficult for Hurd to see significant targets, especially as a rookie.

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

The short-term outlook for Hurd looks rather bleak and likely depends on how Kyle Shanahan chooses to use him. Because he is so raw at the wide receiver position, I cannot see him earning significant targets or snaps at wide receiver alongside two much more advanced route-runners in Pettis and Samuel.

The role I envision for Hurd is more how the 49ers have used Kyle Juszczyk the past couple years or how the Patriots used Cordarrelle Patterson when they were thin at running back last season. I believe Hurd would excel more on plays designed for him out of the backfield or as a move tight end. He and Kittle are very different players who could mesh together quite well. It will be interesting to see how that tandem develops and coexists down the road.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

I do not expect Hurd to ever be a fantasy superstar in his career. However, if he continues to refine his route-running I can envision him being a valuable mismatch and “weapon” for the offense he is in. He has a very unique skill set which can be utilized to take advantage of mismatches and create them for others.

Whether he can be this same “weapon” for your fantasy team remains to be seen. It is not something I want to bet on so I am probably not going to have many shares of him this off-season.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

I mentioned above I could envision Hurd being used both in the backfield and catching passes like Juszczyk has the past couple season for the 49ers but that does not mean I view them as similar players. Hurd is a much better athlete with much more explosiveness and versatility.

Some might also draw comparisons to Chicago Bears wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. While Patterson is indeed much more versatile than Juszczyk, he is more of the kick-returner/punt-returner mold than Hurd. Patterson is also a lot faster.

As you can see, just because a player is versatile does not mean they are a good comparison for Hurd. The 49er rookie is truly a unique player. Jaylen Samuels might be the closest comparison to Hurd. While the former has a much shorter, compact build, his combination as a runner and pass-catcher is similar. Luckily both players landed in offenses that can utilize their unique skillsets.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

While writing this, Jalen Hurd currently sits at 33rd in MFL rookie ADP and 33rd in single quarterback DLF ADP. This places him in the back half of the third round near players like Bryce Love, Rodney Anderson, Riley Ridley, Drew Lock, and Darwin Thompson. While I prefer Hurd over some players in this range, I still have a few targets going later I would prefer.

As a result, I probably will not have many shares of Hurd. I do not think he is being overvalued, but I would rather invest the pick in a profile I feel more comfortable with. Investing in a player without a pre-defined role can be risky, but luckily you can likely do so with Hurd at a very low cost.

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Kyle Holden

Writer at Dynasty League Football

Kyle was introduced to fantasy football at a young age, tagging along with his dad and brother for work league drafts. From calling out draft picks to placing the stickers on the big board, he was immediately hooked. His favorite format is devy leagues because there is always so much to study and learn.