The 2023 NFL Draft is here! After months of waiting, we finally know where the 2023 NFL Draft class will land. This information shapes the outlook for rookies in 2023 and beyond. We’re going to have you covered throughout and following the 2023 NFL Draft to help you prepare for your fantasy football leagues. Next up for many will be dynasty rookie drafts. To help you prepare to make your dynasty rookie draft picks, let’s dive into Matthew Jones’s 2023 NFL Draft profile as well as Pat Fitzmaurice’s dynasty rookie draft outlook for Chase Brown.
Dynasty Rookie Picks & Predictions: Bengals Draft Chase Brown
Let’s first see what NFL Draft expert Matthew Jones says about Chase Brown.
Matthew Jones’s 2023 NFL Draft Outlook
Background:
Born in Canada, moving to Florida in high school and originally committing to Western Michigan, where he ran for 352 yards as a freshman before transferring to Illinois and redshirting 2019 after carrying the ball just three times. Started six of eight games in 2020 and went 104-540-3 (5.2) before breaking out in 2021 with 170-1,005-5 (5.9). Had a massive senior-year line of 328-1,643-10 (5.0), adding 27-240-3 receiving in his final year.
Positives:
Has escalating output in each year, culminating in a huge senior year as the team’s bellcow, one in which he hit 100+ yards in all but the team’s final game. Has a thick lower body. Has a smooth game and is able to change speeds effectively. Shows adequate patience and vision to let blocking develop and recognize cutback lanes. Clean footwork when shuffling to find a hole, and doesn’t waste any time hitting when he finds an opportunity, showing adequate burst. Runs with a low center of gravity and appropriate knee-bend. Able to squeeze through pockets for yardage. Can slip by defenders in a phone booth. Runs through arm tackles in the open field. Tries to spin off of attempts for additional yardage. Generally finishes runs by falling forward. Doesn’t shy away from contact in pass protection, and has the anchor strength to absorb power.
Negatives:
Carried the load last year but is on the small side for a feature back. Most of his work came out of the shotgun or pistol. Not the fastest, quickest, or most explosive back; more of a chunk gainer than a home-run hitter, with just one run over 40 yards last year. Overall balance is just average. A tough runner but not a particularly punishing one; doesn’t work his way through many tackle attempts. Fumbles were an issue last year, putting the ball on the ground five times. A pure safety valve in the passing game who rarely lined up anywhere but the backfield. Doesn’t consistently engage with his hands/arms in blitz pickup, leading to issues from time to time.
Summary:
A pretty good pure runner with a strong lower body, good footwork, and who proved that he can carry the load as a workhorse in a highly productive senior season, but who is on the small side for the position, lacks special athleticism, and is a relatively straightforward safety valve in the passing game. Definitely put himself on the map this season, but is probably going to end up in a running-back rotation, probably paired with a receiving back and perhaps a more dynamic option. Looks like a mid-round pick.
2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Chase Brown
Cincinnati was on the shortlist of the best possible landing spots for a rookie running back, so the Bengals’ selection of Chase Brown in the fifth round makes Brown an intriguing investment in dynasty rookie drafts, even though Brown was a Day 3 pick. Joe Mixon is the incumbent lead running back in Cincinnati at the moment, but there have been rumors that the Bengals could release him for salary-cap purposes. If that were to happen, Brown would have a chance to earn a significant role in one of the more prolific offenses in the league.
Brown had a big senior season for Illinois, rushing for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns, and adding 27-240-3 as a receiver. He handled a mammoth workload for the Fighting Illini, averaging 27.3 carries a game as a senior. Brown is a smart, patient runner who has good visions and usually makes smart decisions when he has the ball in his hands. His 4.43 speed allows him to explode through holes. Brown is an exceptional all-around athlete who had the top vertical and broad jumps among all the running backs at the NFL Scouting Combine and posted a relative athletic score of 9.81.
The 5-10, 209-pound Brown isn’t a very powerful runner, and he’s not an exceptionally gifted pass catcher. He had a poor week at the Senior Bowl, struggling with drops and getting blown up in his attempts at pass blocking.
With his appealing landing spot, Brown should be a consieration in the back half of the second round in 1QB dynasty rookie drafts, and in the early third round in superflex drafts.
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