2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile: Javon Baker, WR

College football is a tough business. Some organizations continually exude excellence and others struggle to remain relevant. While some teams need to battle for just a few wins as a unit, some players stand out from the rest of the roster as true difference-makers for their team. 

Players like Malik Washington and Xavier Legette found a way to put up serious production on very questionable teams. Well, I have one more to add to that list. Javon Baker, the stand-out receiver from UCF, is shaping up to be an excellent later-round guy who can add some great depth to your dynasty rosters. 

Javon Baker (WR) UCF – Dynasty Rookie Profile

Height: 6’1

Weight: 208 lbs

Today, we’ll be breaking down Baker, the wide receiver out of UCF who could end up being a value in your dynasty football leagues. We’ll be breaking down his outlook for the 2024 NFL Draft. More importantly, we’ll be diving into his dynasty fantasy football outlook and what to do with the running back in rookie drafts.

Strengths

Solid Route Running with Great Body Control on Catches

One of the key traits that kept scouts watching was Baker’s crisp route running during the Senior Bowl. He has great, quick movements in the middle of his routes that lock up the defender just enough to separate for an easy catch. He’s able to give a quick head-fake and explode out of the break to set himself apart from the defense.

Though when he doesn’t generate that space from the DB, he’s a solid contested-catch threat that routinely makes impressive grabs. It was a one-handed snag in the end zone that turned heads at the Senior Bowl, which for Baker felt like another day in the office.

Physical Player with an Elite WR Mentality

Baker is a player who plays incredibly tough with a competitor’s mindset. He has strong hands that allow him to win off of the line, as well as battle through the defender to get the tough catch. That’s all well and good, but the real difference maker with Baker is his “alpha receiver” mentality. He truly does not respect the defender in front of him. You can see him often taunting defenders after shaking them loose, as well as following through on deep blocks on run plays.

Weaknesses

Slow off the Line of Scrimmage

If you want to find your new pet peeve, take extra care at watching Baker’s feet on the line of scrimmage. There are so many great releases that allow him to get into a position to get open. Then there are a whole bunch of clips that show Baker taking a significant amount of extra steps that slow down his route. This typically is seen against press coverage, and though the NFL is trending more and more towards zone, it’s something that Baker should look to improve at the next level.

Couldn’t Find Playing Time in a Crowded Alabama WR Room

As a four-star recruit coming out of high school, Baker spent his first two seasons in Alabama behind some tough competition. A couple of guys named DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle dominated snaps for Alabama in Baker’s rookie year, fair enough.  Then in his sophomore season, Baker struggled to earn snaps against junior John Metchie and a new transfer from OSU, Jameson Williams.

There are a lot of different variables that can go into a player not seeing the field. But for those elite athletes and prospects, that never seems to be an issue. Baker totaled just 9 catches in two years at Alabama. In Bryce Young‘s 4800-yard season, Baker accounted for just 100 of those yards. He had fewer catches and yards than Slade Bolden, Traeshon Holden, Ja’Corey Brooks, and Jojo Earle in 2021. These are all real players I promise.

Maybe I’m cherry-picking as he was just a sophomore then, but it still has me questioning his ability to break through and earn targets playing among other elite talent.

NFL Fit and Draft Capital

While Baker is a tremendous athlete with the right NFL mentality, he may not make much of an impact in his first year. He’s projected as a day 2/day 3 pick and won’t likely see much playing time out of the gate. He has plenty to improve on in regards to his technique and could use some time learning under vets to really crack his game open.

At the moment he appears to be best slotted to be a number 2 type of receiver on an offense, where he can benefit from someone else taking away the spotlight. There is a world where Baker can evolve into a true number one, but it may be a year or two before we see him truly ascend to an elite offensive weapon.

Dynasty Outlook

Baker is a tough receiver to project for fantasy football. He has some tools that will help him earn meaningful playing time. However, there are still a few things that will keep him from becoming a major player on dynasty football rosters. In the end, his landing spot will be incredibly important to his dynasty value.

If Baker lands somewhere like Carolina where he can be an immediate starter, we may see Baker emerge as a late-round steal. However, if he lands on a team with wide receiver depth, he could be lost in the shuffle for the first few years of his career. Ultimately, he’s a solid second or third-round pick, but don’t be overly disappointed if he doesn’t hit immediately.

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