Rookie Report Card: Harrison Bryant and Marquez Callaway

Dan Meylor

Each week throughout the season, I’ll 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 how well he’s lived up to those expectations at the NFL level to this point, I’ll grade the player in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, rookie season potential and long-term upside.

The series rolls on in week seven with a peek at tight end Harrison Bryant and wide receiver Marquez Callaway.

Harrison Bryant, TE CLE

Week Seven Stats: Four receptions, 56 yards, two touchdowns (five targets)

Although Bryant entered the draft process as a bit of an unknown due to playing at Florida Atlantic, he quickly gained a cult following in the draft community because of his impressive tape and production in college. Hauling in 65 passes for 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season alone, Bryant proved in his time with the Owls to be an athletic seam stretcher with excellent hands.

Always the best pass-catcher on the field every Saturday, no matter if lined up on the line of scrimmage, in the slot or on the perimeter, Bryant regularly got separation against man coverage and instinctively found weak spots versus zone coverage. Although he dropped a handful of wide-open passes in college, he’d consistently make difficult grabs in traffic and was excellent after the catch, using his big frame (6’-5”, 245 pounds) to run through tackles.

Regularly overlooked by most who rank dynasty prospects, I had Bryant ranked in my top three at the position (behind only Cole Kmet and Adam Trautman) in the months leading up to the NFL draft because of his pass-catching prowess but when he slid to the fourth round and went to the Browns as the sixth tight end off the board, I began to second-guess if I overrated him and if I had put too much stock in his skills against Conference USA competition.

Stuck behind highly paid free agent Austin Hooper in Cleveland, many – myself included – lowered Bryant on draft boards after the draft and he became an afterthought in rookie drafts – where he was regularly falling out of the fourth round.

Since kicking off his NFL career he’s been involved in the offense, catching eight passes for 70 yards and a touchdown in his first six games, but hadn’t made a splash until week seven against the Bengals. Filling in for Hooper as the starter, Bryant caught four of five targets for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

While both touchdowns came near the goal line, it was his other two catches that should have gotten dynasty managers excited about Bryant’s upside. On both plays, it was his run after catch ability that raised eyebrows. Aggressively running through contact, he gained 28 yards after the catch including 17 after contact.

Although Hooper is due back in the next couple of weeks after recovering from an appendectomy, Bryant is in line to start again in week eight against the Raiders and nobody should be surprised if he posts another top-12 finish at the position.

Considering he’s still behind Hooper on the depth chart and was acquired in nearly all leagues with little to no rookie draft equity, Bryant should still be attainable but that could change as early as next Sunday. Dripping with TE1 upside, he’s the ideal trade target for those looking for a developmental tight end for 2021 and beyond.

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Marquez Callaway, WR NO

Week Seven Stats: eight receptions, 75 yards (10 targets)

An undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, Callaway wasn’t on my radar during dynasty rookie drafts. In fact, like many that rank incoming rookies for dynasty purposes, he was not only unranked by me, I had actually never watched Callaway play. So I’m not going to pretend I had an expectation of him before the NFL draft.

A canceled pre-season and limited news out of training camp continued to keep Callaway off the radar of dynasty managers until week five when he caught four of six passes for 34 yards against the Chargers on national TV. While watching that game I did a quick Google search for college scouting reports on Callaway and found a very common thread on the few I found. He was a deep threat. Only a deep threat in college. But he ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash at the combine – which doesn’t inspire confidence for a bright future as a dynasty asset.

Something didn’t add up because against the Chargers, Callaway was used primarily as a short route option, consistently running crossing routes and quick outs and stops.

Fast forward a couple of weeks to Sunday against Carolina and Callaway took another step forward. Catching eight of ten targets for 75 yards, he was once again used as a short-to-intermediate target for Drew Brees – who was without Michael Thomas (injury) and Emmanuel Sanders (Covid-19).

In his two games playing regularly for the Saints, Callaway has shown nothing that his college scouting reports suggested. He appears to be a possession receiver with limited ability after the catch to make tacklers miss or outrun defenders in space. Although he’s shown good hands – catching the ball away from his body – nearly all of his catches have come against soft coverage or when a defender passed him off to a teammate in zone coverage – which puts his route running and ability to create separation in question.

Though any player catching underneath passes from Brees has immediate value, it’s difficult to see Callaway as anything more than a placeholder for Thomas and Sanders. While he should be on dynasty rosters just in case those two veterans continue to be sidelined, anyone looking at Callaway as more than a dart throw flex play and end-of-bench stash in dynasty will likely quickly be very disappointed.

Like most, I love an underdog story but I don’t think this is it. Dynasty managers should trade him for any draft pick upgrade they can get, although it’s doubtful many would give up anything to add Callaway.

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dan meylor