TE David Njoku, CLE (1 Viewer)

Biabreakable said:

I have tried to look into the rookie QB likes a TE narrative objectively through research but I found the results to be sporadic and inconclusive. Some did some didn't.

Maybe someone else has found different results than I did though, and I kind of abandoned the research half way through it. Perhaps there is evidence to support it I just didn't dig deep enough.

I think some TE seasons are supported by a lack of other receiving talent on the team, causing them to be used more than they otherwise might have, but such a situation is likely not sustainable. Players around the TE improve over time, recover from injury and so on changing the situation. The QB isn't a rookie very long. You run into a problem of small sample size, but the way to approach it would be looking at all rookie QB seasons. Some QB do not start as rookies, so couldn't be part of that sample.

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lod001 said:

Also have to factor in the coaching/playcalling. Some OCs will use the TE as the safety valve for a QB, then on the flip side there are idiots like Mike Martz who was too dumb to know the value of Greg Olsen. I would expect a team like the Rams to rely heavily on the TEs with their new head coach. Arizona ignores the TE under their HC.

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Rookie Reflection: TE David Njoku flashes potential in spring ball

...he’s poised to earn a key role on a new-look Cleveland offense...

“He’s a freak,” rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer said in May. “To be as big as he is over there with his crazy muscles and being 6-foot-5 and jumping and catching it one-handed, it definitely makes for an easy target to throw.”

"He’s a very athletic guy. There are aren’t a lot of people in the country that are 250 pounds and are also 7-foot high jumpers. That part of it is really evident,” tight ends coach Greg Seamon ...

“He’s young. He’s really developing. He’s got a great work ethic. I’m excited about his potential. He’s in that rookie process right now where there’s a lot being thrown at him. It’s a demanding position because you’re involved in all three aspects of the offense; you have blocking for the run, pass protection and then being a receiver. We’re experimenting a little bit. I think that his athletic ability tells you that he can play in a lot of different areas of the field. He can be a detached guy, he can be a tight end in the traditional sense, he can be in the slot, he can be a wing...

Njoku — first recruited to the Hurricanes as a wide receiver — 64 passes for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns in just nine starts and 22 games....

 Seamon said. “It’s kind of a golden age for the tight end in the game of football, because teams are finding so many versatile athletes playing the position in college. You see more and more teams that play with multiple tight ends, so an answer to your question, the tight ends are playing a lot more snaps than they used to.”

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Browns first round TE David Njoku has struggled with fumbles at training camp.

Coach Hue Jackson called out Njoku after practice, saying he "needs to get that corrected." Njoku's ball security isn't a major concern, but it's a reminder there could be an Eric Ebron-esque learning curve despite a clear path to targets. Second-year TE Seth DeValve is a threat to Njoku's early-season role.

Source: Nate Ulrich on Twitter 

Jul 28 - 6:05 PM

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Njoku (back) returned to Browns practice on Saturday.

Njoku missed Cleveland's preseason opener with back soreness. He was listed as the Browns' third-string tight end on their initial depth chart, behind Randall Telfer and Seth DeValve. The 29th pick in April's draft, Njoku will be the starter sooner rather than later, but rookie tight ends tend to struggle in the NFL.

Source: Nate Ulrich on Twitter 

Aug 12 - 3:57 PM

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David Njoku caught both his targets for 20 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers.

Njoku split snaps with Seth DeValve, logging 31 snaps on Sunday to 30 for DeValve. Rookie tight ends are a notorious slow burn for fantasy and the 29th overall pick from this year’s draft doesn’t appear to be an exception to that rule. Until Njoku’s role grows throughout the season, he is best left on waiver wires for fantasy purposes.

Sep 10 - 6:25 PM

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3nOut said:

I have a roster spot available for a flier and thought of picking up a TE. I'm still debating between Njoku and OJ Howard. Any thoughts on Njoku moving forward?

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electric Ape said:

 I wonder if there's any chance CLE will use more 2 TE sets or Njoku could get run at WR? One of the things that's holding him back now is he's splitting snaps about 50/50 with DeValve. If he could get on the field more then he starts to get a lot more  interesting.

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Man In The Box said:

I’m surprised there’s not more buzz here about this guy considering how volatile the TE position has been this year. I picked him up to replace Clay once Hogan was named as the starter for this week. 

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hamsterdam said:

DeValve is splitting snaps and targets with Njoku. 

Do you guys expect Njoku to start taking more of the share starting this week?

Would be more convincing if it was more like Tampa where the snaps maybe even but Brate is clearly getting majority targets. 

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hamsterdam said:

DeValve is splitting snaps and targets with Njoku. 

Do you guys expect Njoku to start taking more of the share starting this week?

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ponchsox said:

DeValve stinks 

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Ojaays said:

Not so fast. 

First, Devalve has out targeted Njoku every game except week 2 when they tied @ 4. 

Devalve= 12-158-0 ~ also note Devalve has had at least 3 receptions called back  by offensive penalties and negated another roughly 50 yards.

Njoku= 12-118-2

Devalve is just as involved and he's not running 8 yard routes, he's being targeted downfield.

Njoku is coming on, he's talented, but Devalve isn't going away either, both will continue to be targeted.

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Andrew74 said:

I hate to say this since I'll get a "can I play in your league", but Njoku was dropped by a guy in my dynasty league after week 2 to make room for a player acquired via trade (he drafted him at 2.04).  It was baffling then and is now.  Evidently I was the only one paying attention, so I picked him up as a free agent the next day.  I tried really hard to get that pick from him, but he wouldn't budge.

Just my way of 

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David Njoku hauled in 2-of-7 targets for 19 yards in the Browns' Week 8 loss to the Vikings in London.

Njoku’s day started out well with an 11-yard gain on a screen pass, but he did not haul in another pass until deep into garbage time and was called for offensive pass interference in the fourth quarter. The rookie’s target share has grown as of late, but he has still yet to top three catches in a game. He will not be a streaming option outside of very deep leagues when the Browns return from their bye against the Lions in Week 10.

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David Njoku caught 4-of-6 targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's Week 13 loss to the Chargers.

After setting a season-high in snaps a week ago, Njoku posted a season high in receiving yardage this week. Njoku scored the only touchdown for the Browns, flexing out wide left for a 28-yard strike, setting a Cleveland rookie tight end record with his fourth score on the year. Njoku later added a 33-yard reception down the seam. It's been egregious that the Browns haven't found a way to get Njoku more snaps and opportunities while their offense was lacking receiving options all year long, but they seem to making good on getting him involved down the stretch. With that said, Njoku is still just a TE2 against the Packers in Week 14. 

Dec. 3 - 8:26 pm et

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Bracie Smathers said:

The return of Josh Gordon will really help Njoku as evidenced on the scoring play where the defense shifted the deep safety to JG's side of the field and left the skinny post open for Njoku.  Having two 'Twin Towers' on offense should help any QB heading into next year but Gordon can't dog it like he did on the final play where it took him nearly 20 seconds to run off the field with the clock running down.  

Njoku is doing all of this without average NFL QB play and without favorable game scripts. 

We saw what sort of impact having a 'threat' like Josh Gordon can make on Njoku's ability.

Just think what he could do just an 'average' or even 'mediocre' NFL QB?

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Skeletore Eh said:

the Browns "plan" to use sophomore TE David Njoku as a "full-time starter."

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Skeletore Eh said:

David Njoku - TE - Browns

The Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich writes the Browns "plan" to use sophomore TE David Njoku as a "full-time starter."

A first-round pick last year, Njoku played just 46.8% of the offensive snaps as a rookie and ceded targets to Seth Devalve. While free-agent addition Darren Fells will have a role as a blocker, Njoku should get the bulk of the passing-game work this season. He faces stiff competition for targets from the likes of Josh Gordon and Jarvis Landry, but Njoku has the talent to put up a TE1 season if he gets the looks.

Source: Akron Beacon-Journal

May 21 - 9:32 AM

https://www.ohio.com/akron/sports/browns/nate-ulrichs-browns-analysis-resetting-each-position-group-heading-into-otas

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• Tight end David Njoku isn’t finishing plays. On Sunday, the 2017 first-round pick kept dropping passes. On Monday, a Tyrod Taylor spiral skipped off his hands and turned into an interception by DeMarious Randall.

• Al Saunders is trying hard to help Njoku. The 71-year-old coach lines up where a free safety would during some tight end drills. Saunders coached Browns wide receivers last year before that job was given to Adam Henry. He was offensive coordinator in Kansas City during the meat of superstar Tony Gonzalez’s career (league-leading 102 catches in 2004).

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According to Browns Zone's Scott Petrak, second-year TE David Njoku has dropped too many passes early on in training camp.

Drops are a largely overrated statistic, but they can become problematic if they start to become habitual and force the quarterback to reconsider throwing it in a player's direction. Njoku's drops early in camp even have teammates taking jabs at him. Njoku is expected to make a second-year leap but has a ton of competition for targets after the Browns overhauled their offense.

Source: Scott Petrak on Twitter 

Aug 1 - 12:57 PM

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BigTex said:

Wasn’t he having the same issues in college? It seems like it. I will need to look that up.

Tex

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amnesiac said:

i looked it up on my lunch hour.  

drops are definitely mentioned in his scouting report.  

one of them stated that he does have good hands, but doesn’t always look the ball all the way in, as he’s too focused on making a move after the catch.  

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BigTex said:

Catching Technique


Njoku does a good job of consistently putting his hands out in front of him and attempting to use proper catching technique to bring in passes. This is something that a lot of guys at his size struggle with, especially at the college level. But with that said, drops were a problem for him. Over the course of his career, Njoku failed to come away with the catch at an 11 percent clip. By comparison, Eric Ebron, who led all NFL tight ends in drops in 2016, posting a drop percentage of 8.2, per sportingcharts.com. Of the Hurricanes alums that he’s being compared to, Graham dropped passes at a rate of just 4.2 %, while Olsen was nearly perfect with a stellar 0.8%. 

The above quote is HUGE and MUST NOT BE OVERLOOKED!!! I just recently realized how many times I saw him fighting to catch footballs or simply dropping catchable balls. Seeing this article is in tune with what I was seeing and should not be ignored.

Tex

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gianmarco said:

Your own post.

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Soulfly3 said:

pls keep crapping on this guy, Shark Pool.

Thx. 

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gianmarco said:

Dude, this shtick is getting old. I love how you pump your guys and go all in. That's cool. But you don't have to keep coming back with these comments with every little positive development as a way to suggest others are garbage for not liking who you like.

Just my $.02.

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Soulfly3 said:

Practice hands v game hands

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Browns TE David Njoku caught two passes for 46 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday's preseason game versus the Giants.

The Giants struggled versus opposing tight ends all of 2017 and the preseason opener was no different. Njoku flashed his athleticism, catching a 36-yard touchdown down the seam from Tyrod Taylor in which he blew past Alec Ogletree and then raced the rest of way into the end zone ahead of Darian Thompson. Njoku wasn’t done when the Cleveland starters came out, playing two drives with Baker Mayfield, capping a 72-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown catch over multiple New York defenders on his final play of the night. Njoku is looking to make a leap in his second NFL season after catching 32-of-60 targets for 386 yards with four touchdowns as a rookie. He is an upside play at a limited tight end position for fantasy purposes.

Aug 9 - 8:52 PM

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