In one of the 2019 NFL Draft’s more surprising slides, DK Metcalf fell all the way to Pick 64, right into the WR-needy Seahawks’ laps. Both the strengths and weaknesses of Metcalf are glaringly clear. On the plus side, few humans are composed like Metcalf. An absolute specimen, Metcalf stands an imposing 6’3″, 228 lbs yet blazes a 4.33 forty to go along with an absurd 40.5 inch vertical ups. Negatively, his route tree possesses minimal branches beyond “go” and screens, and his lateral agility leaves plenty to be desired.
Fortunately for fantasy owners, Metcalf’s immense strengths align perfectly with the Seahawks’ passing game and overall offensive plan: pound the rock and sling deep with play-action. Recently-extended All-Pro QB Russell Wilson throws one of the league’s best deep ball; this ability to drop bombs exactly where he wants them, combined with Metcalf’s unfair size and speed to rip through defenses, should create beautiful fantasy music in 2019.
Indeed, the Seahawks “Aerial Pie” may be among the league’s smallest. Under new OC Brian Schottenheimer, the team ranked dead-last in pass attempts, and were the only team in the NFL with a higher run-to-pass play ratio (52% run / 48% pass).
Yet, small doesn’t mean gross with a passer as talented and efficient as Wilson. The Seahawks ranked 6th in the league in Yards per attempt (8.1), while Wilson somehow tied Big Ben for 5th in passing TDs (35) despite the league’s minimum in attempts. In fact, Wilson tossed a TD on 12.5% of his completions, and the team has ranked 1st and 6th in 20+ yard throws over the past two years. A significant chunk of this production came on play-action, where the Seahawks trailed only the Rams with 33% of their throws. Much more is a testament to Wilson’s fantastic deep-ball, both from the pocket and while buying time with his legs; Wilson ranked second in the Deep Ball Project‘s 2018-19 grades.
This was all while throwing to pipsqueaks. Metcalf might be the most dangerous size / speed mismatch to enter the NFL ever. He will undoubtedly be on the receiving end of plenty Wilson bombs, and truly could not have landed in a better fantasy home than Seattle. Metcalf is my second-ranked rookie WR, behind only N’Keal Harry, and slides into the mid-80s on my first Post-Draft 2019 Fantasy Football Big Board.
