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KeeSean Johnson - WR - AZ Cardinals - Deep Sleeper Alert (1 Viewer)

TripItUp

Footballguy
Apparently the talk at Cardinals camp is WR KeeSean Johnson, not Hakeem Butler and not Isabella.

The Shark Pool has been put on notice.

 
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Knew there was some buzz flying around training camp that I hadn't seen yet when I received an offer for him yesterday out of the blue. The offer was Alfred Blue, actually. 

I got him for a dollar last month during a BB period because I just loved how smooth he looked doing everything. Nothing special about him but he's a total natural before, during, and after the catch. 

I knew it was a long shot due to lack of pedigree, mediocre combine, and the hype of guys like Isabella and Butler. But he just seems like the kind of guy who does what he's supposed to do and manages to make the play, despite numbers that say he's the definition of JAG. It's weird but he kinda reminded me of Marvin Jones without the measurables. 

 
I grabbed this guy as many times as I could in my rookie drafts.  Fitz can't play forever and while I LOVE Butler and think Isabella can play a role, Johnson's profile fit the new Cardinal offense really well and I was able to get him super cheap every time.

Glad I got him where I could.

 
Darren Urban @Cardschatter

Offense has a tough final period but the last play is a Hundley-to-KeeSean Johnson 65-yard TD on 4th-n-9 as Cardinals practiced late-game-trailing situations.

 
Mike Jurecki of the Cardinals' official website reports sixth-round WR KeeSean Johnson has "continued to shine" through the first week of training camp.

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss has passed along similar observations and even predicted Johnson will open as the No. 3 receiver behind Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk. Johnson was drafted behind both Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler, but there's been no question Johnson has been the better player in practice to this point. GM Steve Keim labeled Johnson one of the best route-runners in the 2019 class. He slipped in the draft due to a slow 4.6 forty time. Johnson is putting himself on the radar in coach Kliff Kingsbury's pass-happy Air Raid attack.

SOURCE: Mike Jurecki on Twitter

Jul 30, 2019, 9:15 PM ET

 
Now have him in 2 leagues.

I'm kind of hoping Adam Thielen kind of production in the long run. Might get nothing, but worth a shot. 

Good hands, with excellent route running can get you far and I heard something about 95 catches of 100 balls during collage... not bad at all. 

 
Gotta put my foot down on this one. If everyone is a sleeper in Arizona, then nobody is a sleeper.

I got Fitz and Kirk penciled in for 1,700 yards combined. Give 450 to the TEs and 450 more to the RBs.

Leaves 2,000 remaining for everyone else on the team. Which gives the rookies a ceiling of about 450-700 yards depending on how the luck breaks.

Would rather watch these guys audition for life without Fitzgerald for a year before wasting a roster spot on the majority of them. As in, trade for the guy you like most after this season. Since none of these guys are going to win you a championship.

Only exception is Butler who with that size could catch 8-10 touchdowns.

 
How often do training camp stars actually become something?  Only reason I ask is because there were raves about Taywan Taylor, Tajae Sharpe, Cordarelle Patterson, to name a few as well.  This screams that same kind of situation to me. 

I kind of liked KeeSean Johnson as a pre-draft guy, but draft pedigree says that he'll get pushed aside rather quickly by any number of guys, at least eventually.  

 
Raptors409 said:
Gotta put my foot down on this one. If everyone is a sleeper in Arizona, then nobody is a sleeper.

I got Fitz and Kirk penciled in for 1,700 yards combined. Give 450 to the TEs and 450 more to the RBs.

Leaves 2,000 remaining for everyone else on the team. Which gives the rookies a ceiling of about 450-700 yards depending on how the luck breaks.

Would rather watch these guys audition for life without Fitzgerald for a year before wasting a roster spot on the majority of them. As in, trade for the guy you like most after this season. Since none of these guys are going to win you a championship.

Only exception is Butler who with that size could catch 8-10 touchdowns.
Yeah that's great for redraft leagues but I think the majority of the discussion here is centering around his long-term, dynasty value.  Kirk is a nice #2 and Fitz only has so much left in the tank.

Shrug.

 
Yeah that's great for redraft leagues but I think the majority of the discussion here is centering around his long-term, dynasty value.  Kirk is a nice #2 and Fitz only has so much left in the tank.

Shrug.
I personally think Kirk can be a WR #1. Prorate his yards 49 yards per game over 16 games and it puts him at 786 yards.

Not bad for a rookie, especially in an offense that was as terrible as Zona’s was last year. Plus, his 2nd Round draft status gives him more pedigree than everyone else currently on the team.

He passed the eyeball test for me and averaged a stellar 13.7 yards per reception. Very confident he is the future of WR on our team.

If it helps, I’m a Cardinals fan. I want all these guys to succeed but I definitely think Kirk is the best prospect on the team and it’s not close. Maybe Isabella, guess I should give him a chance to play first before I decide he has to play second fiddle.

 
Johnson’s market share against baseline regression is good. It’s not an end all be all but combined with where his poor athleticism is I would say he’s probably similar to Rashard Higgins. I don’t mean that as an insult. Higgins is actually a good route runner and thought highly of in some scouting circles.

 
How often do training camp stars actually become something?  Only reason I ask is because there were raves about Taywan Taylor, Tajae Sharpe, Cordarelle Patterson, to name a few as well.  This screams that same kind of situation to me. 

I kind of liked KeeSean Johnson as a pre-draft guy, but draft pedigree says that he'll get pushed aside rather quickly by any number of guys, at least eventually.  
Often enough that it's worth rostering them in deeper leagues IMO. 

Usually the play is to sell them as they are breaking out, before they turn back into a pumpkin. Victor Cruz is the poster child here. 

Many more Victor Cruz type career trajectories than Adam Thielen. 

Like... Sell Phillip Lindsay yesterday.  He will be a pumpkin again soon :)

 
Forgetting about the TE’s for a second.

Fitz, Kirk, AI, Butler, Johnson, and maybe White will probably be the WR’s. DJ will also catch a ton of balls. That’s a pretty crowded group. As someone else pointed out, Fitz, Kirk, and DJ will most likely dominate touched. The leftovers will be divided among the rest of the guys.

He’s a decent flyer in dynasty, and I’m a sucker for the “good route runners” coming out of college, but to expect much this year is wishful thinking, IMO.

 
Raptors409 said:
Gotta put my foot down on this one. If everyone is a sleeper in Arizona, then nobody is a sleeper.

I got Fitz and Kirk penciled in for 1,700 yards combined. Give 450 to the TEs and 450 more to the RBs.

Leaves 2,000 remaining for everyone else on the team. Which gives the rookies a ceiling of about 450-700 yards depending on how the luck breaks.

Would rather watch these guys audition for life without Fitzgerald for a year before wasting a roster spot on the majority of them. As in, trade for the guy you like most after this season. Since none of these guys are going to win you a championship.

 Only exception is Butler who with that size could catch 8-10 touchdowns.
The truth is, you have a point. But I only have one guy from Cardinals, and I'm not a big fan of Kirk. So if there's a new qb and he trusts a new guy from the draft, there's always a good chance you might have something. At least it's worth a shot if you're not paying too much... and I'm talking dynasty! 

 
Forgetting about the TE’s for a second.

Fitz, Kirk, AI, Butler, Johnson, and maybe White will probably be the WR’s. DJ will also catch a ton of balls. That’s a pretty crowded group. As someone else pointed out, Fitz, Kirk, and DJ will most likely dominate touched. The leftovers will be divided among the rest of the guys.

He’s a decent flyer in dynasty, and I’m a sucker for the “good route runners” coming out of college, but to expect much this year is wishful thinking, IMO.
this feels exactly right to me as well

 
The truth is, you have a point. But I only have one guy from Cardinals, and I'm not a big fan of Kirk. So if there's a new qb and he trusts a new guy from the draft, there's always a good chance you might have something. At least it's worth a shot if you're not paying too much... and I'm talking dynasty! 
What about Kirk don't you like? He looked pretty darn good last year on the most inept offense with the most inept coach with the most inept QB in the league. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do on an ept offense with a potentially ept coach and a potentially ept QB.

 
In situations where it's wide open, take the cheapest player.

And think of the storylines/chatter...

Is he related to Keshawn?

Is he named after Keshawn with an alternate spelling?  Keshawn was the 1st overall pick in the year KeeSean was born, from a school in the same state where KeeSean was born...

I know the answers, but if KeeSean Johnson breaks out for the Cardinals that will be a talking point is used so often it gets annoying.

 
WRs have come out of nowhere before. He's pretty much free in leagues. Why not grab and wait. Antonio Brown, A. Boldin, etc..... all were training camp stars that leapfrogged the expected "starters".

 
WRs have come out of nowhere before. He's pretty much free in leagues. Why not grab and wait. Antonio Brown, A. Boldin, etc..... all were training camp stars that leapfrogged the expected "starters".


I agree with the gist of what you're saying, but wanted to point out that Boldin was a 2nd round pick despite running a 4.71. He didn't come out of nowhere although he did emerge immediately as a rookie. 

 
According to Scott Bordow of The Athletic, it's "clear" that Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and sixth-round rookie KeeSean Johnson are the Cardinals' top three receivers.

The Cardinals listed former first-round pick Kevin White as a starter on their initial depth chart but that listing was probably based on seniority. Johnson appears to be the obvious No. 3 in Arizona with fellow rookies Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler both working behind him. Isabella has reportedly "dropped too many passes" at camp while Butler has also had issues with "holding onto the ball." Bordow named Fitzgerald, Kirk, Johnson, Isabella and Butler roster "locks," leaving White, Damiere Byrd, Pharoah Cooper and Trent Sherfield to fight it out for the Cardinals' final two wide receiver spots.

SOURCE: The Athletic

Aug 4, 2019, 9:57 AM ET

 
What about Kirk don't you like? He looked pretty darn good last year on the most inept offense with the most inept coach with the most inept QB in the league. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do on an ept offense with a potentially ept coach and a potentially ept QB.
True that, I like Kirk, but I was just thinking he was not special in a way that there's no room for some other guy.

He's still far from being a #1 wr for a team and there's a chance for anyone in this offense to get targets.

 
ESPN's Josh Weinfess believes rookie WR KeeSean Johnson "may have had the best training camp of anyone on the Cardinals' roster, veteran or rookie alike."

Johnson is an "early favorite with the coaching staff" and should see plenty of snaps as a rookie, even with last night's Michael Crabtree signing. The rookie receiver has been a high-end route runner and has maintained better health than the rest of the group, a combination that has made him rise up the depth chart. The Athletic's Scott Bordow projects the top three receivers in Arizona to be Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, and Johnson with Andy Isabella and Michael Crabtree also in the mix.

SOURCE: ESPN.com

Aug 22, 2019, 9:15 AM ET

 
As you can see in the above clips two of Johnsons receptions were against Trey Waynes who is a decent NFL corner. The first on is a comeback route that is thrown with good timing. Good coverage by Waynes who is close on the play but Johnson makes the catch. The 2nd one Johnson just turns back for the ball in the zone.

Once Kris Boyd comes in the game it gets a lot worse. Johnsons cuts are just too quick and too clean for Boyd to run with him. He gets caught trailing him repeatedly in the game. Color analyst Pete Bercich is commenting about this during the broadcast.

Boyd is a pretty good athlete and was ranked as the 16th CB of the 2019 draft class by Lance Zeirlien. Yet some of his weaknesses are identified by Zierlien in that if he cannot get a jam on the receiver he gets lost by a good release. Johnson got him in this way on the first rep he goes against him. Boyd misses the bump and Johnson runs downfield behind him. The second catch vs Boyd he has like a 15 yard cushion and plenty of room for that comeback route. The 3rd reception he gets against Boyd isn't so bad on Boyds part. Johnson is running a drag route across to the left and he runs really strong here ready to take a hit and securing the ball. The 4th catch against Boyd Johnson gets him turned around and trailing again.

Just looking at the snap counts Johnson played on 51 of them in this game. 68% of their total plays and the most for any offensive player.

Fitzgerald, Kirk and Isabella each played on 17 snaps. 

 
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D Byrd made at least 2 catches for decent gains vs Rhodes in the last game 

admittidely i I have a soft spot for him as he won me a game or 2 previously 

 
I don't know, but it seems like both he and Sherfeld are ahead of Isabella. I'm not sure whether Johnson or Sherfeld is the starter alongside Kirk and Fitz. 

 
Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, and Michael Crabtree were listed as the starters on the Cardinals' depth chart.

That makes rookies KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella backups, but we'll see just how much Kliff Kingsbury uses four-receiver sets in the NFL. This preseason, the offense was intentionally very vanilla, though it's worth noting their preference for rotating in their receivers. It's also fair to wonder how much Crabtree has left in the tank as a 32-year-old, but he'll get the first crack at playing meaningful snaps. Crabtree is a WR5 versus the Lions.

 
Wow, that's pretty crazy.  Arizona must have really not liked what they saw from their young WRs. 
It could be a deference to veterans (even though Crabtree is new to the team). I don't see it lasting as Crabtree looked spent last season but if it does it does not speak well for Johnson or Isabella (and I was very high on Isabella all offseason).

 

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