2022 Finding ‘The Next Deebo’ (LA Chargers vs. Denver) -- March Madness Tourney Sweet 16

Same Intro each day: We all know what the phrase ‘next Deebo’ means – a player who works at one position primarily but takes on a second position (in-game) beyond just a random 1-2-3 carries or targets…that they become a real dual-threat option for their team, and thus a great producer for Fantasy Football.

Before there was ‘Deebo’ (midway through the 2021 season), there was ‘Cordarrelle’ as the breakout WR who started also taking a good workload at RB…so much so he became the team’s lead RB, but then got all but dropped on his WR aspect.

Before ‘Cordarrelle’ there was Curtis Samuel trying to breakthrough as a ‘nails’ WR in 2020, but also a guy taking 3-5 carries a game in CMC’s absence and looking like he might make the turn – but then he went to Washington in free agency, got hurt, and barely played/impacted in 2021.  

Before Samuel there was everyone looking for the ‘next Tyreek’. We might forget that Tyreek started out as a low target WR taking 1-2 carries a game, and then taking every carry for a 50+ yard TD…then he was converted over from random WR/RB to main WR, and they stopped pushing him in the running game the past two years (definitely don’t get that guy the ball more, whatever you do).

We’ve had some promising guys try to breakdown this ‘Deebo’ wall, but Cordarrelle really was the one who kicked in that door to start 2021 season (then ATL went away from it)…after the door was kicked in, then Deebo ran right through it 2nd-half of 2021 and became the ultimate/best dual threat of our lifetimes – so much so every analyst is running around saying certain players ‘can be their Deebo’, and you’re going to get sick of hearing about it they say it so much now. But credit to Deebo (really, credit to Kyle Shanahan) the ‘Deebo’ role is a thing now…I think some teams are going to copy because of its success, as they should…as they should’ve created it years ago. It’s the evolution of the game – players/weapons who you don’t know where they’re gonna lineup or what they’re going to do, and they’ll draw plenty of mismatches to expose.

With that in mind, we’re going to have a ‘next Deebo’ tournament/FFM daily series for the next few weeks during March Madness time.

I am going to nominate one player from each NFL team to be the possible ‘next Deebo’…the ‘their Deebo’ hopeful. I’ll explain why I choose that player, and why not others if there was a close option – and then like March Madness, we’ll pit two of them against each other/state the case and I’ll choose a winner…the one most likely to be used as ‘the next Deebo’ for the 2022 season.

We’ll go by division, matchups by 2021 record (so #1 v. #4, #2 v. #3 in the division), one matchup/winner declared each day into April until we have one AFC rep and one NFC rep and then we’ll declare a final ‘Super Bowl of Deebo’ winner.

Now, San Francisco has their own Deebo already…so he is not in this tournament. For the SF slot, there will be a play-in game between two current draft prospect options. Unsigned free agents will be an option for the team they were last on in 2021. Got it? Good. Let’s go…

Today’s Matchup = AFC WEST: LAC vs. DEN

WR Joe Reed, LAC

vs.

WR Kendall Hinton, DEN

The battle of Cinderella’s…the battle of mainstream no-names – and one of them is going onto the Elite 8 in our ‘next Deebo’ tourney.

Kendall Hinton, the former highly mobile, (a lot) lesser Jalen Hurts-alike QB for Wake Forest…turned WR his senior season and posted a 1,000+ yard campaign in his WR debut is the one Cinderella here. He became a UDFA pickup (a crime) in the NFL, made the Broncos roster as a rookie WR and return man…and actually started a game at QB (one of the worst QB-ing moments in NFL history) due to a COVID outbreak as a rookie.

In 2021, Hinton was forced into playing time due to mass WR injury, and…SURPRISE…he’s a really good, promising WR…a WR who has nice hands and can run the ball well after the catch and take wildcat snaps and jet sweeps, etc.

Joe Reed is the other Cinderella. A 5th-round draft pick in 2020. A running back build on a listed WR…6’0”/224. Oh, and also a 4.47 runner with a 21 rep bench press and 38” vertical. He’s an athlete. 129 career catches and 16 rec. TDs with 34 carries, 172 yards, and 1 TD rushing at Virginia…oh, and also 5 kick return TDs in his final three seasons in college. Reed was something in college.

In the pros, Reed has flailed away. Anthony Lynn tried him at RB his rookie season…5 rushes for 29 yards and 1 TD (and 1 target at WR). There was a sense of Reed as a runner, as a weapon in 2020. In 2021, with Brandon Staley…Reed was waived before the season start but was put on the practice squad all season. He’s back on a future’s contract right now.

This is a decision of a very viable Hinton, who is actually on the main roster and advancing in playing time versus Reed, who is a perfect ‘Deebo’ body/ability but seems lost in LAC. Who wins?

I think Hinton is buried in Denver due to the ‘big name’ WR group, so it’s hard to get him on the field…much less be in some feature role. Reed might get cut for all we know, but if he breaks through year three…it would be in that type of Deebo role. He’s so perfectly built for it.

WINNER = Joe Reed, who goes on to the Elite 8 to face the winner of Elijah Moore vs. Tyreek Hill

Sweet 16 Results:

Rondale Moore defeats D.K. Metcalf

Kadarius Toney defeats Curtis Samuel

Cordarrelle Patterson defeats D.J. Moore

Amon-Ra St. Brown defeats Tarik Cohen

Joe Reed defeats Kendall Hinton

Coming Up:

Elijah Moore vs. Tyreek Hill

A.J. Brown vs. David Johnson

Ja’Marr Chase vs. Chase Claypool