For casual dynasty leaguers, the first two rounds of a rookie draft are enough. They just want to grab Jonathan Taylor or Jerry Jeudy and call it a night. For the sicko diehard dynasty ravagers that want to win each and every year, deeper names available in the late rounds are needed. We’re talking about that guy that gets taken and everyone asks who it is. We’re talking deep hibernation-level sleeper. In 2020, that guy is Marquez Callaway.
While Callaway doesn’t have the gaudy counting stats of Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb, he does have impressive market share numbers. He posted a 33.1-percent (61st-percentile among qualified wide receivers) College Dominator Rating at Tennessee with a 19.4 (80th-percentile) Breakout Age. He also experienced a carousel of quarterbacks, catching balls from three different passers as a senior. The Volunteers didn’t have enough arm talent to throw for 3,000 yards, which is why Callaway only put up 635 yards and six scores in his final season. Though receiving isn’t all that he has to offer.
Marquez Callaway Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Callaway was commanding the ball in the return game ever since he was an 18 year old true freshman. In his career, he totaled 543 punt return yards with three touchdowns. Players that get the ball in unique ways in college clearly offer dynamic traits that their teammates don’t. While it doesn’t show up in most boxscores, this skill should be recognized.
Marquez Callaway College Stats
Another positive on Callaway’s profile is his ability to stretch the field. He posted an impressive 19.0 (90th-percentile) Yards Per Reception at Tennessee. While he doesn’t profile as a burner with 4.55 speed, he does have a 95.7 (56th-percentile) Speed Score with a 127.6 (82nd-percentile) Burst Score at 6-1, 205-pounds. That athleticism makes him look like Mike Williams, who operates as a big-bodied field stretcher for the Chargers despite not having the best wheels. Callaway is physical with his routes and converts contested targets into receptions. That physical mentality along with his background as a returner makes him a natural after the catch.
Check out Marquez Callaway on PlayerProfiler’s Updated Rookie Rankings:
Despite plenty of positives on his resume, Callaway still looks like a late-round option for many NFL teams. He’s not entirely polished and doesn’t have that freak-level athleticism. That will cause most teams to view him as a developmental pick instead of an instant contributor. If he catches fire as a returner, he’ll command more opportunities on offense. That will be his key to being a fantasy asset sooner rather than later.
Callaway has about everything we want as a late-round dynasty rookie pick. He won’t contribute immediately, but nobody ever does after the first three rounds. Stash him and hope he lands in a promising situation.
