2023 Week 2

[Space Cowboy]

Najee is not very good but that line can’t push anyone for three years now.

[FantasyFreak]

Dear Steelers,

Najee sucks. Give the ball to Warren.

I was about to post something similar. This guy shouldn't have been a first round pick in 1995, let alone in the 2020's.

[FantasyFreak]

I know it's early, but Bryce Young not only does not look like a first overall pick, let alone a guy you trade anywhere close to that capital to get there for. For a guy who's supposed to be a fast processor, he's really not seeing the field well. He doesn't have anything I can see that would set him apart in the NFL climate, at the QB position. Long way to go, but he looks lost.

[Space Cowboy]

Meanwhile stroud is poised and getting the ball to his playmakers and Richardson is looking like a future star.

[FantasyFreak]

Did anyone else really need that Olave TD?

UGH.

[Jigga94]

Did anyone else really need that Olave TD?

UGH.

Yep

[FantasyFreak]

Did anyone else really need that Olave TD?

UGH.

Yep

He just seems a little too casual sometimes.

[wickerkat1212]

Down 172.95 to 171.80 at the half. But I only have the Pitt DEF (15.00) and Austin III (2.0). LOL. Do I win?

[FantasyFreak]

Najee is losing his job tonight.

[Cameron Giles]

I know it's early, but Bryce Young not only does not look like a first overall pick, let alone a guy you trade anywhere close to that capital to get there for. For a guy who's supposed to be a fast processor, he's really not seeing the field well. He doesn't have anything I can see that would set him apart in the NFL climate, at the QB position. Long way to go, but he looks lost.

So, in short he looks like a rookie QB lol

[Jigga94]

I need to see Bryce with more (any) weapons. I think he's still going to be alright

[Dynasty DeLorean]

Najee is losing his job tonight.

Team #NeverNajee

Najee Harris
Quick feet with nice jump cut. Runs with less power than you’d expect for a player of his size and stature. Gets stood up in too many situations. Good balance and ability to shed some tackles though. Ability to wrestle defenders off of him, but how much of that is because he was older/bigger than everyone else. Excellent receiver. Decent build up speed but initial burst just isn’t there. Many situations where he probably could have bounced it outside but decided not to because he knew he didn’t have the juice to round the corner. Not asked to pass block much that I could see but appeared adequate in that area. Good spin move. Navigates traffic well in tight spaces, sometimes to detriment though (won’t just lower head and fall forward 3 yards).

Comp
Slow David Johnson
Slow Matt Forte

Watching Najee’s film made me depressed. Not because I think he’s bad. He’s got the size, he looks the part (those thick thighs), he’s clearly very experienced and talented. BUT he just flat out lacks that initial burst which I believe will prevent him from ever becoming a superstar. His long-speed is ok, once he takes a few steps he can accelerate, but his initial start quickness or stop-start quickness is not ideal. I know not everyone feels this way, but he’s a classic “gets what’s blocked” RB to me. Yes, he can make some plays, but that’s not really his game. His game is to be big, be versatile, get what’s blocked, be available. He goes to the perfect situation with the Steelers imo. He can be the versatile 3down back, he’ll put up fantasy points because he’s a good receiver and he’ll be the goal-line back, and if he’s not efficient everyone will just blame the crappy o-line or the aging big-ben. If you don’t like what you see after a year, you’ll most likely still have a chance to exit out of Najee for roughly what you paid. In the end, I don’t hate Najee, I think he’ll be fine because of all the things he brings to the table. I just think he’ll be more of a Melvin Gordon stat compiler than a true stud/superstar. His age doesn’t help either. He needs to stay healthy and produce year one if he’s to retain his value. He can’t pull a Cam Akers and miss half the season and go up in value, I don’t think that will be possible at his age. Another thing I mentioned was a surprising lack of power. At his size with his skills, its sort of unbelievable how many times I saw him stoned the moment he contacted a defender. I think he falls into the same trap as Etienne in which they both think they can keep extending plays when sometimes you just gotta bowl a guy over when it’s 2nd and 1 or at the goal line. Najee was able to wrestle guys off him in college but I'm not sure he'll be able to do it at the same rate in the NFL. It’s also worth mentioning that Najee didn’t do any athletic testing so it’s hard to tell which tier he would have made it in, if any.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

I know it's early, but Bryce Young not only does not look like a first overall pick, let alone a guy you trade anywhere close to that capital to get there for. For a guy who's supposed to be a fast processor, he's really not seeing the field well. He doesn't have anything I can see that would set him apart in the NFL climate, at the QB position. Long way to go, but he looks lost.

So, in short he looks like a rookie QB lol

Yes and no. In theory he should look like the most polished rookie but he looks the most rough. I think that is where the worry is.

[Cameron Giles]

I know it's early, but Bryce Young not only does not look like a first overall pick, let alone a guy you trade anywhere close to that capital to get there for. For a guy who's supposed to be a fast processor, he's really not seeing the field well. He doesn't have anything I can see that would set him apart in the NFL climate, at the QB position. Long way to go, but he looks lost.

So, in short he looks like a rookie QB lol

Yes and no. In theory he should look like the most polished rookie but he looks the most rough. I think that is where the worry is.

Just for reference, here are the first two games of a recent 1st round rookie QB, who everyone would love to have in a startup right about now.

48% completion, 5 Y/A, 5 interceptions, 53.6 passer rating.

I don't think being the most polished QB necessarily means you're going to come out and put up big numbers or look sharper than everyone else. There's a really steep learning curve to all of this regardless of pro ready you are.

[FantasyFreak]

I know it's early, but Bryce Young not only does not look like a first overall pick, let alone a guy you trade anywhere close to that capital to get there for. For a guy who's supposed to be a fast processor, he's really not seeing the field well. He doesn't have anything I can see that would set him apart in the NFL climate, at the QB position. Long way to go, but he looks lost.

So, in short he looks like a rookie QB lol

Yes and no. In theory he should look like the most polished rookie but he looks the most rough. I think that is where the worry is.

Yeah, but Giles, I know you were big on him, and tons of time, but he's not looking nearly as comfortable as you'd like for a guy who was supposed to be a fast processor. He looks very confused most times, and again, it's so early, but I still think they massively overpaid. We won't know for a while, it's way too early, but there's a lot to be concerned about, including how often he's allowing himself to get hit, with that build.

I mean, let's stay consistent. 3 games of Shedeur Sanders, top 5 pick.....2 really bad games of Bryce....he's just a rookie....

I kid, but small sample size I have given on both my arguments. Bryce does have plenty of time, but Shedeur being top 5 after 3 games is either pre-mature, or else Bryce is an overpay.