Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Malik Washington, WR Virginia
We all dream of hitting the jackpot on a deeper rookie profile, where unearthing a gem like Puka Nacua can become part of your dynasty legacy. Achieving this dream is like finding a needle in a haystack. Washington is not Nacua but let’s review further and see if he can be the jackpot in your dynasty rookie drafts…
The Stats
Credit: College Sports Reference.
Washington was a five-year college prospect, who spent the majority of his time at Northwestern before transferring to Virginia in his final season. The first real breakout for Washington came in his third year, after the pandemic shortened 2020 season. Over his final three seasons, Washington produced solid numbers for receptions and a great final year, where he went over 100 catches, over 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns.
It was pleasing to see Washington’s production improve every season of college, with the caveat in year five he was a 22-year-old prospect, who will be 23 entering next season. The numbers show a volume role, usage nearer the line of scrimmage with the final season an outlier for touchdowns. All the stats here point towards Washington translating as a durable slot receiver with minimal touchdown upside in the pro game.
The Film
Washington has excellent hands, arguably up there with the best in the class. He also displays great concentration in traffic and shows strong recognition of finding soft zones in coverage – particularly during the scramble drill. He often makes the first defender miss with the ball in his hands, displaying an above-average ability to break arm tackles for additional yards after the catch. Despite him being primarily a slot receiver, I was pleased with his production inside and outside the numbers. Also, Washington offers great value and flexibility on game day. He produced on jet sweeps, and provided positive contributions and dependability as a kick returner on special teams.
While Washington was excellent from the slot, there are concerns due to the fact he received minimal usage as an outside receiver at only 15.9% for his career, as per Pro Football Focus. The film study also showed a lack of elite speed to run away from defenders and a basic route tree compared to younger, less experienced peers in this class. The final point to note is many of Washington’s highlights were against a lower level of competition compared to the overall class. The video above shows the best plays of Washington, however looking into the DLF library for him here gives you a balanced view of his game.
Overall, I was impressed with many aspects of Washington’s film. He displayed excellent hands, concentration and power after the catch. There are concerns about a true ceiling and ability to contribute as an outside receiver in the pro game, but he displays enough tools on tape which could lead him to becoming a successful wide receiver in the NFL.
The Measurables
Credit: NFL.com.
Washington’s size puts him on the shorter and lighter side of the wide receiver class overall, however he is pretty compact for the position. He ranked 23rd out of 30 wide receivers in the 40-yard dash – which essentially limits him to the slot receiver role, as a short and slower wide receiver. Washington delivered the tied-best performance of the combine in the vertical jump at 42.5 inches, displaying exceptional explosiveness which is vital for his anatomy. Also, he was mightily impressive on the bench press, delivering the second-best performance out of 12 participants and showing excellent upper-body strength. The key takeaway from his combine results is that they with the film review – where Washington is explosive, shows great strength in his run after the catch, and is limited in height and speed to be an impact outside.
The Value
Credit: DLF April 2024 Superflex Rookie Dynasty ADP.
Washington is currently on the cusp of going undrafted in a standard 12-team, four-round rookie draft, with an ADP of 48.2, as the WR25 and the 57th player off the board. Looking at the data, this is pretty mind-blowing – I currently have him ranked as my WR13 pre-draft, factoring in expected round four to five draft capital.
His current ADP is below Zakhari Franklin, a wide receiver who failed to receive an invite to the combine and a name who casual fans will be unaware of at this stage of the draft process. While I’m not an advocate of using dynasty benches to stockpile longshot wide receiver prospects, I think Washington is the perfect player to pick up late or via waivers and hold on your taxi squad, with the exception of extremely deep roster bench settings.
Dynasty Outlook
Any player who is on the cusp of going undrafted in rookie drafts is an easy player to become an advocate for, as the downside is minimal at this cost. In this respect, Washington is a player you need to be interested in. The flaws in his profile are simple – he’s purely a slot receiver and he’s not the fastest wide receiver prospect. What he does give you is excellent hands, yards-after-the-catch ability, and a player who can contribute in your dynasty leagues. There’s no direct player comparison, but my best attempt would be calling him a hybrid version of Deebo Samuel and Demario Douglas. In terms of best landing spots for dynasty, I’d be a huge fan of a slot role in either Washington, New Orleans or Denver.
The type of profile Washington possesses means he can’t be the second coming of Nacua, but in reality, nobody can – not for a very long time. Washington is his own player, one who with luck in a solid landing spot can develop into a depth player on a deep dynasty roster or at least give you an opportunity to turn him into draft capital in future years. Sadly he is not the jackpot I alluded to at the start. Still, this is a player I’m very interested in at his current price. I’ll be watching out for his landing spot and draft capital on draft night.
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