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 Parker Washington.
Dynasty Rookie Picks & Predictions: Jaguars Draft Parker Washington
Let’s first see what NFL Draft expert Matthew Jones says about Parker Washington.
Matthew Jones’s 2023 NFL Draft Outlook
Background:
Has been playing in the slot since he arrived on campus; caught 36/58 targets (62.1%) for 489 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman, put together a 64-820-4 (12.8) line in 2021 on 86 targets, and finished his collegiate career with 46-611-2 (13.3) this past season on 66 targets before declaring.
Positives:
Productive three-year contributor for a major program. Thickly built for the slot. Runs a mix of routes to different levels of the field, with a mix of screens, crosses, hitches, overs, and deeper patterns. Has relatively clean, simple releases to get off the line against press. Has solid speed to threaten down the seams or across the field on over routes. Shows impressive suddenness, sells routes well at the stem to freeze defenders and create throwing windows and has some snap to his routes. Overall flexibility looks good. Has a reliable pair of hands, dropped just eight career passes in school (5.2%), and shows a solid ability to adjust to poorly-thrown balls. Sells out for throws away from his frame. Good focus to come down with contested catches. Competitive after the catch, with some elusiveness to make the first man miss and impressive contact balance/leg drive to fight for additional yardage. Does a nice job of following blockers in the screen game. Works hard to line up, engage, and sustain blocks on opponents when stalking, with solid contact balance.
Negatives:
Height is on the low end for a pro receiver, which will probably relegate him to the slot. Experience split out wide is relatively limited (28.1% of snaps this past year, 12.3% overall). Production is somewhat padded by a relatively high rate of screens, hitches, and throws of that nature; not as many throws where he’s beating man coverage. Not particularly explosive off the line; has build-up speed. Reliable within his radius but doesn’t present the biggest target overall. Settles into coverage too frequently when working against zone, rather than finding soft spots or improvising to create windows. Wasn’t a particularly efficient punt returner, averaging just 5.5 yards per return (19 punts).
Summary:
May never be a true outside receiver, but is a thickly-built, reliable slot option who pays attention to detail as a route-runner, offers a safe pair of hands and the ability to adjust to throws away from his frame, solid contact balance and some elusiveness after the catch, and high-effort blocking, traits which could make him a reliable underneath target at the next level as well. Looks like a relatively pro-ready, safer pick.
2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Parker Washington
Washington probably wasn’t going to be a coveted asset in dynasty rookie drafts no matter where he landed, but his landing spot seems especially unfortunate. He was a sixth-round selection of the Jaguars, who already have Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones at wide receiver. Washington might make the roster, but he’s unlikely to make any sort of meaningful contribution as a rookie.
Parker is a solid possession receiver who does his best work against zone coverage and is strong after the catch. The 5-10, 204-pound Washington has a physical style and isn’t afraid to make tough catches in traffic. There aren’t a lot of big plays on Parker’s resume. He averaged 13.2 yards per catch at Penn State and had 12 TD catches in his 32 games with the Nittany Lions. Although Washington ran a 4.49 at the NFL Scouting Combine, his acceleration and athleticism are ordinary.
Washington is a final-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts at best.
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