Devin Asiasi or Dalton Keene: Will Either Emerge As A Reliable Fantasy Football Producer?
The last time the New England Patriots drafted a tight end within the first four rounds was in 2010 when they selected Rob Gronkowski in the second round and Aaron Hernandez in the fourth. In the 2020 NFL Draft, they took two vastly different tight ends in the third round. The position has been a need for the Patriots since Gronk had left. Can either of them be available in terms of fantasy football?
New England traded up to select Devin Asiasi out of UCLA. Ten picks later, they took Dalton Keene out of Virginia Tech. Both are supremely talented, and with only Matt LaCosse ahead of them, the future is bright.
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However, there can only be one TE1 on a team. Which rookie tight end is going to be the man for New England?
Devin Asiasi
Moments before taking Asiasi, Bill Belichick rang up Chip Kelly and talked to him about the promising tight end. Asiasi had exploded in his last four games at UCLA, catching 18 balls for 312 yards and a touchdown. Deceptively athletic, he developed into a receiving threat under Kelly. Only playing as a starter for one year, he shined enough to become a second-day pick.
“His athletic ability for his size, someone that big shouldn’t be that smooth an athlete. His versatility is what a lot of teams in the NFL coveted, and obviously Bill saw that himself. The one thing I knew in coaching that league is there aren’t a lot of guys out there, no matter what year it is, who are as big and athletic. The combination of Devin’s size and athletic ability, I knew it was going to make him unique, not just in this class but any class.” – Chip Kelly
When you watch his tape, you see how talented of a route runner he is. At UCLA, he wasn’t utilized as a red zone threat as much as he should have, but he has the traits to be a dominant tight end in the NFL. His sweet spot was down the seam, finding soft spots and exposing defenders after the catch. Asiasi is a nightmare to defend downfield, as when he’s covered, he can still make catches over smaller defensive backs.
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With sure hands and a record of making contested catches, Asiasi will become a safety blanket for Cam Newton or Jarret Stidham in 2020, and whoever the Patriots’ QB is after that. In addition to his receiving ability, the young tight end was a strong blocker in college which will help get him more snaps in the NFL. Currently, he is the favorite to claim the TE1 spot in New England.
Dalton Keene
The second tight end taken by the Patriots was Dalton Keene. He had more catches than Asiasi in college, but the most amount of receptions Keene had in a season was 28. The versatile tight end was a reliable red-zone threat in college, catching eight touchdown passes in his three years at Virginia Tech. He lined up all over the field, including the backfield.
At only 21-years-old, he lacks refinement as a route-runner and blocker but has flashed an ability to pick up yards after the catch. Raw but talented, Belichick has already said that it will take him time to become a complete tight end but he has potential.
“When you watch Dalton play, you just don’t see a lot of things that we do. The Virginia Tech offense didn’t really translate too much to a New England Patriot offense” – Bill Belichick
Keene’s ceiling is sky-high considering his athleticism and high-effort level. However, it will take him time to adjust to running a full tight end route tree and improve his blocking ability. Until then, expect the Patriots to use him on gadget plays.
See Where Devin Asiasi & Dalton Keene Rank In Our Fantasy Football Rankings HERE
Who Should You Take?
The honest answer is both in dynasty. Both rookies are going very late. Rather than taking a flier on a third-string running back, you should take Asiasi and Keene. It may sound crazy, but you have a 50/50 chance of having a great tight end on your bench. My preference is to keep Asiasi on my bench, and Keene as a taxi.
The Patriots lack receiving threats and there is a history of high volume targets going to tight ends in this offense. Asiasi is the more complete player and should see the field more often in 2020. Cam Newton has always been tight end friendly, and if Stidham starts, he’ll love hitting a big-bodied tight end with good hands.
Keene is a wildcard, but expect him to be used as an H-back in addition to getting snaps as a tight end. McDaniels will move him all across the formation and he will get touches, but not enough to be fantasy relevant.
Over the next four years, I’m projecting the Patriots to move towards using 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) more often. New England always makes the most out of their players, and after taking two tight ends in the same round, you just have to think that Bill Belichick knows something we don’t.
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