IDP Rookie Review: Week Six
Before we begin this week’s article, I wanted to recognize legendary scout Dave-Te’ Thomas, who passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. I first heard Dave-Te’ on the Steelers Depot podcast, where he annually provided a whirlwind breakdown of prospects. From then on, any time I listed to a Scout’s Honor podcast with Dave-Te’ and Paul Crane, I felt like I had to listen to it twice so I didn’t miss anything.
He was a great talent evaluator, was not one to go along with the group think that dominates popular prospect evaluation, and he would share scouting reports with you if you emailed him. As Dave Bryan said on Monday’s Steelers Depot podcast, “he was Mel Kiper before Mel Kiper. And quite honestly, with no disrespect to Mel Kiper, he was better than Mel Kiper.”
He’ll be missed by many a football fan in the months leading up to the NFL Draft as we search for good information to get familiar with the next class of prospects.
Now, on to the week six review!
Each week in this article, I’ll keep watch a number of IDP rookies to provide a look at their play and progress. I’ll also keep tabs on playing time and statistics for some of your bench and taxi squad stashes. By the end of the season we should have a good feel for who to build around, who to keep rostered, and who to let go.
As always, let me know in the comments section if you want more information on anyone covered or not covered.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Ross Blacklock, DT HOU
24 (32%) snaps; one solo tackle; one tackle for loss
With the Texans moving on from Bill O’Brien, it would make sense for Houston to get their rookies on the field more to see what they offer now and what they have to work on. In his scouting report on Blacklock, NFL Matchup Show producer and analyst Greg Cosell wrote that the second-round pick “could become one of the better interior pass rushers in the NFL” and has traits that could make him an ideal three-technique tackle. That got my attention, and it was nice to see Blacklock get in his highest number of snaps this season.
It wasn’t a big week for production, but he made a couple of nice plays, notably his tackle of Derrick Henry toward the end of the third, where he quickly read play action and shed a block to get into the backfield and trip up “King Henry” for a one-yard loss. Hopefully his snap share continues to grow moving forward.
Derrick Brown, DT CAR
47 (71%) snaps; two solo tackles, one assist; one tackle for loss; one quarterback hit
Brown showed his disruptive prowess in this game, making a couple of nice tackles on David Montgomery and contributing to a Nick Foles interception. Just before the Bears’ first score, Brown made a great play to power through line and circle around to tackle Montgomery from behind. In the second quarter, he blew up an outside zone run and tagged Montgomery for a three-yard loss.
In the third quarter, his pressure and shoestring hit on Foles resulted in an interception that gave the Panthers the ball back one play after a Mike Davis fumble gave Chicago possession at the Carolina 26-yard line. Brown also logged his highest snap total since week two; if he’s consistently above a 70 percent snap share you can consider him in defensive tackle-required leagues.
K’Lavon Chaisson, DE JAX
55 (71%) snaps; started
Chaisson has for the most part been unproductive with his snaps, and more snaps have not equaled greater production. In his past three games, he’s played 142 snaps, and managed just two assisted tackles and one pass defensed. Not great, Bob! Leave him stashed on your bench or taxi squad – probably for the remainder of the season.
Javon Kinlaw, DT SF
41 (68%) snaps; one assist; one pass defensed
For the third time this season, he got his hand up to deflect a pass; Jason Verrett made a diving attempt at an interception that would have given San Francisco the ball deep in Rams territory. Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet day for Kinlaw, other than a couple of five-yard penalties.
Chase Young, DE WAS
44 (92%) snaps; one solo tackle, one assist; one tackle for loss
This was a lower-than-normal week in terms of opportunity, as Young only logged 44 snaps despite playing 92 percent of the defensive snaps. Early in the game, Young met running back Devonta Freeman in the backfield for a three-yard loss after – just like last week – the right tackle seemingly just forgot to engage him with a block.
Others of note:
- Raekwon Davis, DT MIA – 26 (37%) snaps; started; one solo tackle, one assist
- Jordan Elliott, DT CLE – 21 (32%) snaps
- AJ Epenesa, DE BUF – 22 (30%) snaps; one assist
- Neville Gallimore, DT DAL – 23 (37%) snaps; one solo tackle, one assist
- DaVon Hamilton, DT JAX – 41 (53%) snaps; started; two solo tackles
- Khalid Kareem, DE CIN – 25 (40%) snaps
- James Lynch, DT MIN – 13 (16%) snaps; season-high in snaps but no production
- Julian Okwara, DE DET – five (8%) snaps; role did not grow coming off bye
- Tershawn Wharton, DT KC – 16 (30%) snaps; one solo tackle; one tackle for loss
- DJ Wonnum, DE MIN – 33 (41%) snaps; two solo tackles; one tackle for loss
Notable inactives and injuries:
- Marlon Davidson, DE ATL – placed on reserve-COVID-19 list Oct. 13
- Yetur Gross-Matos, DE CAR – placed on injured reserve Oct. 16 with ankle injury suffered in week five
LINEBACKERS
Krys Barnes, LB GB
57 (88%) snaps; started; seven solo tackles, three assists
It was Barnes – not Ty Summers (22 snaps) – leading the Packers in tackles and getting the lion’s share of work in the Packers’ predominantly one-linebacker scheme. Barnes’ future is murky with the return of Christian Kirksey lurking (fellow rookie Kamal Martin could come back within the next few weeks as well), but it appears you can confidently start Barnes for the time being.
Shaun Bradley, LB PHI
32 (44%) snaps; one assist
Davion Taylor, LB PHI
11 (15%) snaps; two solo tackles
We may start seeing more of these two at linebacker for the Eagles as the season wears on. In what is looking like a lost year for Philadelphia, it makes sense to see if their two draft picks can grow on the go rather than continue to watch Nate Gerry get eaten alive in pass coverage. The snap counts were easily the highest of the season for Bradley, and they were the first of the season for the tantalizingly athletic Taylor. Let’s keep an eye out for them on Thursday night.
Tae Crowder, LB NYG
62 (85%) snaps; started; six solo tackles, four assists; one fumble recovery; one touchdown
You’re up! You’re down. Crowder had a huge game that included a scoop-and-score to bring the Giants even with Washington after Kyler Fackrell stripped Kyle Allen of the ball, and played a near-full time role despite the return of veteran David Mayo. Two days later, Crowder was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Keep him rostered if you can; he showed a lot of promise over the past three weeks.
Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB CIN
26 (41%) snaps; one solo tackle
Logan Wilson, LB CIN
33 (52%) snaps; two solo tackles; one tackle for loss
It was another week of rotational work at linebacker for Cincinnati’s promising rookie duo, and neither made much of a dent in the box score. Germaine Pratt and Josh Bynes played 37 snaps each, and until Davis-Gaither and/or Wilson start to consistently play over the veterans, you can’t consider them for your lineups.
Willie Gay, LB KC
Two (4%) snaps; one solo tackle
So much for that! Gay had been trending toward a larger role (33 snaps in week five and 25 snaps in week four), and had a productive outing a week ago. That all came to a screeching halt Monday night. Kansas City had at least five defensive backs on the field at all times and expanded to dime on 57 percent of defensive snaps, limiting available snaps for the linebackers, and Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson and Ben Niemann soaked up all work. It’s obvious they don’t trust Gay yet, so neither can we. The Chiefs linebacker corps remains a sad, sad place for IDP purposes.
Patrick Queen, LB BAL
63 (88%) snaps; two solo tackles; two quarterback hits; one pass defensed
Queen played more snaps in week six than in any other week this season, but he had his fewest tackles. The uptick in snaps is the more important number, and you just have to write this off as an odd week. He did get a couple of hits in on Carson Wentz. The first, which came toward the end of the first half, almost resulted in an interception, and the second came late in the fourth quarter and forced Wentz to rush a throw to Travis Fulgham in the end zone. On the flip side, he totally whiffed on a tackle attempt during Wentz’s 40-yard scramble in the fourth quarter.
Isaiah Simmons, LB ARI
21 (24%) snaps; two solo tackles, one assist; one pass defensed
It’s nothing to write home about, but we’ll take any positives and run with them when it comes to Simmons. With the Cardinals cruising, Simmons got in some late-game work in relief of De’Vondre Campbell. I mentioned we are looking for anything positive, so I’ll point out that Simmons successfully deflected an Andy Dalton pass to tight end Blake Bell (OK, so it bounced off Simmons’ back). Keep those Simmons shares stashed on your bench or taxi squad.
Others of note:
- Malik Harrison, LB BAL – eight (11%) snaps
- Anfernee Jennings, LB NE – 28 (44%) snaps; started; one solo tackle, two assists
- Mykal Walker, LB ATL – 18 (32%) snaps; started; one assist; one quarterback hit
Notable inactives and injuries:
- Kamal Martin, LB GB – remains on injured reserve but practiced leading up to week six
- Jacob Phillips, LB CLE – injured his knee in week five but is expected back for week seven
- Casey Toohill, LB WAS – waived by Philadelphia post-week five, Toohill was claimed by Washington
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Julian Blackmon, S IND
73 (100%) snaps; two solo tackles; one interception; one pass defensed
Blackmon had a rough start, as did the entire Colts defense as the Bengals sprinted out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. He looked bad on Tee Higgins’ 67-yard reception, misreading the ball and breaking on a 12-yard curl instead of rotating deep to help cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who was beaten by Higgins streaking down the sideline.
Blackmon got the last laugh, and his highlight play came on a final-minute interception when he perfectly read Burrow’s pass into the deep middle to Tyler Boyd. The pick came in Colts territory and preserved the victory. Indianapolis seemingly has its safety tandem in place for the next several years with Blackmon and second-year man Khari Willis.
Jeremy Chinn, S CAR
63 (95%) snaps; four solo tackles, one assist; one interception; one pass defensed
Chinn continued his stellar rookie season with a huge third quarter. His first career interception came on a bad decision by Foles, who was trying to avoid a sack and sailed a pass that Chinn skied high to nab. The play gave the Panthers the ball back one play after a Mike Davis fumble gave the ball to Chicago at the Carolina 26-yard line. He also made a nice play to break up a pass to Jimmy Graham on third down.
Cameron Dantzler, CB MIN
80 (100%) snaps; nine solo tackles, two assists; two tackles for loss
Jeff Gladney, CB MIN
79 (99%) snaps; seven solo tackles, one assist; one forced fumble
Harrison Hand, CB MIN
37 (46%) snaps; four solo tackles; one pass defensed
The Vikings rolled with some serious youth at cornerback against the Falcons, with Gladney (first round), Dantzler (third) and Hand (fifth) playing almost all the cornerback snaps. The results were predictable. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley carved up the trio and created a nice fantasy day for everyone involved.
All three rookies had their moments. Gladney did a nice job chasing down Brian Hill from behind on an outside run and forcing a fumble. Hand made a nice physical play to break up pass intended for Jones late in first half. Dantzler was draped all over Jones in the end zone later that same drive, forcing Ryan to throw the ball away. For the most part it just looked too easy though, particularly for Jones.
It will be fun to see how fast this group can grow, and for the sake of fantasy production, the growing pains. The Vikings seemingly have nowhere else to turn at corner outside of Holton Hill (missed this game with a foot injury). Gladney and Dantzler should stay on your cornerback radar with several good matchups following a week seven bye.
Michael Ojemudia, CB DEN
57 (100%) snaps; seven solo tackles, one pass defensed; two forced fumbles
Ojemudia, a third-round pick, continued to play full-time snaps with AJ Bouye on injured reserve. Cam Newton targeted him often, leading to big tackle numbers, and Ojemudia helped by dislodging the ball on receptions by Damiere Byrd and Ryan Izzo. He also made a touchdown-saving breakup on a deep pass to Byrd late in the fourth quarter. The targets and opportunities should continue in week seven against the Chiefs.
Jeff Okudah, CB DET
62 (97%) snaps; seven solo tackles, one assist
Okudah has been playing well lately and his production has been at a CB1 level. He should be in your lineup this week against Atlanta – we saw how productive the Vikings cornerbacks were against a full-strength Falcons offense. Okudah will likely see plenty of targets and opportunity facing off against Julio Jones or Calvin Ridley.
AJ Terrell, CB ATL
55 (98%) snaps; six solo tackles, one assist; one tackle for loss; one interception; one pass defensed
Terrell was targeted often as the Vikings played from behind. You can consider him in cornerback-required leagues when the matchups are good. He made a nice interception of Kirk Cousins in the second quarter, jumping in front of a pass intended for Justin Jefferson.
Antoine Winfield Jr., S TB
59 (94%) snaps; three solo tackles, two assists
This could have been a bigger week from Winfield, who still showed off his fantastic range from the deep safety position with a handful of plays against the run and pass. He nearly (and should have) landed his first career interception early in the fourth quarter. From a cover two look, Winfield read where Rodgers was going with the ball, saw Robert Tonyan crossing to his side of the field, and beat the tight end to the spot where the ball was going. Essentially, he did everything right other than catch the ball. He also got a pass rush opportunity on a safety blitz, but Rodgers got off a pass in plenty of time.
Others of note:
- Kamren Curl, S WAS – two (4%) snaps; one solo tackle. Washington benched Troy Apke but it was Deshazor Everett – not Curl – picking up the snaps at the safety spot opposite Landon Collins.
- Ashtyn Davis, S NYJ – special teams snaps only
- Trevon Diggs, CB DAL – 60 (97%) snaps; two solo tackles, one assist; one pass defensed
- Kyle Dugger, S NE – 27 (42%) snaps; four solo tackles, one assist
- Kristian Fulton, CB TEN – 56 (78%) snaps; started; three solo tackles
- CJ Henderson, CB JAX – 73 (95%) snaps; started; four solo tackles, two assists
- Jaylon Johnson, CB CHI – 68 (100%) snaps; one solo tackle, two assists; two passes defensed
- Brandon Jones, S MIA – 21 (30%) snaps; three solo tackles; one tackle for loss; one pass defensed
- Troy Pride, CB CAR – 27 (41%) snaps; started; one solo tackle, one assist
- K’Von Wallace, S PHI – played special teams snaps only with Will Parks’ return from injured reserve
Notable inactives and injuries:
- Jordan Fuller, S LAR – placed on injured reserve with shoulder injury he re-aggravated in week five
- Jaylinn Hawkins, S ATL – wasn’t yet ready to return from concussion suffered in week four
- Kenny Robinson, S CAR – If you’re in a league that is thin at safety, the XFL star was signed to the Panthers’ active roster after starting strong safety Juston Burris was placed on injured reserve.
- Positional Strengths of the NFL Draft: IDP Edition - April 23, 2024
- 2023 IDP Rookie Review: Safeties - March 13, 2024
- 2023 IDP Rookie Review: Linebackers - March 2, 2024
