Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Devin Asiasi, TE NE

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: Devin Asiasi

Position: Tight end

Pro Team: New England Patriots

College Team: UCLA

Draft Status: Round three, 91st overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

COMBINE REVIEW

• Height: 6’3’’
• Weight: 257 pounds
• Arms: 33 1/4”
• Hands: 9 3/4”
• 40-yard dash: 4.73 seconds (unofficial)
• Bench press: 16 reps
• Vertical jump: 30.5”
• Broad jump: 115”
• Three-Cone: N/A
• 20-yard shuttle: N/A

STRENGTHS

• Fluid runner with deceptive speed
• Size to catch passes in traffic without fear
• Great weapon on seam routes
• Soft, capable hands
• Catches the ball away from his body
• Can run away from linebackers
• Strong feel for zone coverage
• Can lower the boom for extra yardage
• Willing blocker

WEAKNESSES

• Good but not great height for the position
• Limited usage in all but 2019 season
• Blocking technique needs work
• Somewhat limited route tree
• Issues with contested catches

OPPORTUNITIES

Devin Asiasi came out of Concord, CA as a four-star recruit, rated as the third-best tight end prospect nationally by 247sports. He started his collegiate career playing for Jim Harbaugh in Michigan, but the Wolverines had an established starter at the position in Jake Butt. This led to minimal usage for Asiasi in his freshman year, and he then transferred to UCLA to be closer to home, sitting out the 2017 season.

Statistics from sports-reference.com.

As you can see from the stats, there honestly isn’t a whole lot there. The low usage seasons in 2016 and 2018 were followed up by a breakout year in 2019. The stats in that one season are very good, but short of great. He had a very good average yardage at 14.6, good for 10th in the PAC-12 that year, but fellow rookie TE Hunter Bryant had a stronger number at 15.9.

The real opportunity for Asiasi is the situation. He landed with the new era New England Patriots. While Tom Brady has moved on, the offense has a long history of strong tight end play, and the hope is that Asiasi has all kinds of opportunity to become the player some think he could be.

THREATS

Like I just said, the Patriots are a great place to land in terms of the depth chart at the position and its history of tight ends, but it isn’t all roses and champagne over there, either. He’ll have the untested Jarrett Stidham getting him the ball, and who knows what will become of this offense now that Brady headed south to Tampa Bay.

Aside from quarterback questions and general questions about the Patriots in the post-Brady era, the job also isn’t a lock for Asiasi. The Pats also drafted another rookie tight end in Dalton Keene, and Matt LaCosse isn’t cemented in as the TE1, but he does have some experience at least. Asiasi has a great shot at a lot of time on the field, but he still has to earn it.

Asiasi also has a lot of development ahead of him. He is not the most polished prospect I’ve seen at the position, even though he has some very good traits. He’s not afraid to go over the middle and make tough catches, he has soft hands for the most part, and he can attack defenses down the seam. That being said, he has a long way to go in terms of conditioning, as his weight fluctuated throughout his collegiate career, and he has a few branches to add to his route tree. How quickly he transitions to the pro game will dictate a lot for Asiasi.

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

I would not expect Asiasi to shoot out of the gate and be a consistent fantasy asset. He will need some time to develop, and the Stidham-led Pats likely need time to develop themselves. There are a couple of veteran tight ends on the roster who may garner the early work and starting roles.

Since the tight end room is a little light, there is at least a chance that Asiasi can fit into the offense more quickly, however. He has a big body that could be a nice safety blanket for a young QB, and he has shown the ability to make plays when given the opportunity.

Still, I would expect a relatively quiet rookie year with a few splash plays or games later in the season, as is often the trajectory for a youngster at the position.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

If Asiasi can develop his route tree and improve his consistency as a blocker, he could be a strong contributor long term, and there is a scenario where he could be TE1 material. A lot would have to go right for that, but it is in the range of outcomes.

I see him more as someone who can become a steady, reliable contributor at the NFL level. He could be the type of TE who acts as a third-down and red zone safety blanket, but not the kind who takes over a game. But reliability at the position in fantasy is not a bad thing by any stretch. Give me consistent double-digit points from a tight end and I could be very happy.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

I thought long and hard about this. I expect something like a Ben Watson trajectory. They have a similar size, and that’s the kind of production I could see out of Asiasi – steady, reliable, but not game-breaking. Watson had one really strong year with over 800 yards, but on average he put up about 400 yards per season. That is what I have in mind for Asiasi.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

DLF’s Rookie ADP puts Asiasi around the 40th rookie and the third rookie tight end off the board. This tight end class is on the soft side, so there’s a chance he goes earlier than that to a TE-needy owner or someone buying the Patriots’ tight end hype. You should be able to get him in the early fourth round.

I wish I could be more definitive when it comes to my expectations for Asiasi, but the fact is he has a smaller body of work than many other prospects. He didn’t go crazy in any one area at the combine, and I fear a lot of his current value is based on draft capital and landing spot. I find both of those unreliable for tight end production. There is risk in this pick, and I’m not sure I see the big upside to merit spending too much for that risk.