Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Jordan Love, QB GB

Kane Fossell Posted On May 27, 2020

The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.

Name: Jordan Love

Position: Quarterback

Pro Team: Green Bay Packers

College Team: Utah State

Draft Status: Round one, 26th overall

Video Highlights

Combine Review

Height: 6’4”
Weight: 224 lbs
Arm length: 32 5/8”
Hands: 10.5”
40-yard dash: 4.74 seconds
Vertical jump: 35.5”
Broad jump: 118”
Three cone: 7.21

Strengths

The first thing you notice about Jordan Love is his incredible arm. He is able to sling the ball to any part of the field without hesitation. Because of his terrific arm talent and above-average athleticism, he is even able to make throws off balance and off of his back foot. He is even able to change the angle at which he releases the ball, which allows for more chances of getting it out while under pressure.

Talking about pressure – he is able to elude it when it gets close. Love stands tall in the pocket but is aware when it is closing around him. When the pocket does collapse, he is able to use his athleticism to get out and find an open receiver.

Weaknesses

Love is far from consistent. He had a good season in 2018 but took a huge step back this past year under different coaching staff. Part of his inconsistency starts with his inability to look off defenders and this is something that he will have to do constantly at the next level. Because of this deficiency in his game, he throws many interceptions – 29 in total and 17 in his final season.

Love also has difficulty reading zone coverage which does not allow him to anticipate the breaks of his receivers. Due to this, his throws are often late and that allows the defense to easily recover.

Opportunities

First-round quarterbacks will always have an opportunity to play. Love’s opportunity just might come a bit later in his career. Aaron Rodgers is firmly planted as the starter in the offense, but it is clear coach Matt LaFleur wants to change the offensive philosophy.

If Jordan Love is able to get on the field, he will be able to put up fantasy points due to the weapons around him. Davante Adams is a top wide receiver Packers have a few young wide receivers who they are waiting for to take that next step. This offense could really take a step forward if the younger players on the team could all progress a bit faster.

Threats

Love’s biggest threat is playing time. Green Bay have Rodgers signed through the 2023 season, but they have an out in the contract after the 2021 season. It is hard to imagine a time where the Packers use a first-round pick on a quarterback and do not let him play.

Short-Term Expectations

The short-term expectations need to be tempered. Unless the Packers are able to trade Rodgers in the next two years, it is clear that Love is going to be sitting on the bench. The benefit of that is he will be able to learn the game from one of the best quarterbacks over the past decade.

Long-Term Expectations

If we are looking at Love’s long-term outlook, I believe it can be very bright. Love’s positives can be accentuated by the LaFleur offense. He is incredible on the move and the Packers will be looking to get him out of the pocket in play-action situations. Add in the fact that the Packers drafted one of the better pure power running backs (AJ Dillon), and it is clear they are working to change the offense to one that suits Love and his abilities. If Love has a very strong running game, he will be able to throw against loaded boxes.

NFL Comparison

An NFL comparison is a bit tricky. If we were to take off the extreme athleticism Cam Newton, that would make a ton of sense. Both Newton and Love have incredible arm talent and have not spent much time focusing on the mechanics of being a quarterback.

Additional comparisons I could see are Blake Bortles or Colin Kaepernick. Both used their legs to open additional passing lanes, but were never groomed into being above-average pocket passers.

Projected Range for Rookie Drafts

In superflex leagues, Love is available in the late second. My Fantasy League has him going at pick 22 or the 2.10. This is a small price to pay for a quarterback in a superflex league. There are not many players after him who I would prefer. If you have the luxury to have a quarterback sit on your bench or taxi squad for a couple of years, Love could be the perfect pick for you.

The main drawback with drafting him there is that he will not increase in value over the 2020 fantasy season, but his value will stay relatively stagnant as the need for quarterbacks is continuing to increase.