Grading Washington’s 2021 draft class at season’s end
By Jerry Trotta
Dyami Brown
Coming into the year, there was widespread hope among fans that Dyami Brown, along with the arrival of Curtis Samuel, would help take some of the responsibility off Terry McLaurin’s shoulders in the receiving game.
As it turns out, neither player panned out the way fans hoped.
In terms of Brown, he managed just 12 receptions for 165 yards. By playing 73.4% of the snaps during the first five games, the coaching staff clearly believed the third-rounder could make an impact out of the gates.
After failing to produce — with a knee injury sprinkled in there as well — Brown managed just a 17.2% snap share over the final 10 games.
Grade: C-
Rookie WR Dyami Brown called the past year a "learning experience" and said 'it didn't go as i expected, but i learned from it."
— John Keim (@john_keim) January 10, 2022
John Bates
If you think John Bates wasn’t Washington’s best rookie performer this season, you were simply watching another team. The fourth-round pick out of Boise State was an afterthought early on, playing a combined 13.6% of the offensive snaps over the first eight games of the campaign.
From there, Bates took off.
He was one of a few players on the roster who didn’t miss a game and he finished the year with 20 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers won’t blow anybody away, but Bates wasn’t drafted to be Logan Thomas. He’s a chain-mover and a horse when it comes to blocking.
Blocking for the run game is a must for second-string tight ends and Bates was immaculate in this department all year. So much so, in fact, that he earned an 87.5 run-blocking grade from PFF, the best mark on the team.
Fans should be delighted with the Bates pick, because he’s going to be an impact player for Washington for the foreseeable future.
Grade: A