There is a growing movement in the Dynasty community toward “devy” players. The term “devy” refers to developmental players carried on the dynasty league rosters. These devy players are usually college players but can even be high school athletes. Each week of the offseason and season, we looked at a different set of devy rankings.
As we survey devy prospects, we examine traits, abilities, and skill sets that will translate to the NFL. This week, we will look at the top 10 devy quarterbacks eligible for the 2020 NFL Draft. We value the players who will contribute at the professional level higher than the younger players.
10. N’Kosi Perry (Miami) – The slender quarterback (6-foot-4, 178 pounds) was ESPN’s third-rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 recruiting class. He took over the starting job from Malik Rosier after being suspended for the opener, a loss to LSU, for violating team rules. By all indications, the incident is behind Perry. He led the Hurricanes to a lopsided win over North Carolina a week ago and instate-rival Florida State Saturday. Perry led the comeback against the Seminoles with four touchdown passes. For the young season, Perry has passed for 646 yards and 11 touchdowns to go with only 3 interceptions. He should only get better and the Miami offense is stacked with weapons. Coach Mark Richt has done an outstanding job recruiting and restocking the shelves for the once-elite football powerhouse.
9. Jack Abraham (Southern Mississippi) – Abraham is not a household name. He played two years at Northwest Mississippi Community College before coming to Southern Mississippi this year. Abraham is undersized (6-foot, 203 pounds), but is a very good quarterback. He is completing over 70% of his passes and averaging almost 8.3 yards per pass attempt. Those are great numbers. Abraham threw for 428 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 pick in the victory over Rice a few weeks ago. For the season, Abraham has 1,263 passing yards on 107 of 151 passing, including 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. After the postponement of the Appalachian State game for weather, Southern Mississippi has only played 4 games.
8. Kelly Bryant (Clemson) – We have much empathy for Bryant. After leading the Tigers in 2017 and to start 2018, he was replaced by Freshman, Trevor Lawrence. Bryant has decided to transfer and save the year of eligibility. For his career at Clemson, Bryant has 3,338 passing yards with a 16:10 TD:INT ratio. Bryant bided his time behind Watson and was successful last year and early this season before being replaced a few weeks ago. We are intrigued by his size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and athletic ability. If he lands in a good situation, we could be talking about Bryant again this time next year.
7. Brady White (Memphis) – White is a graduate transfer from Arizona State and was immediately eligible for the 2018 season. After graduating early, White has three years of eligibility remaining. The Junior is stepping into the big shoes left by Riley Ferguson. He only saw game action for the Sun Devils in 2016. This season, White has played exceptionally well, leading his team to a 4-2 record and the Tigers appear to be bowl-bound once again. For the season, White has completed 69% of his passes for 1,541 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only 1 interception. His TD:INT ratio is among the best in the country, especially for a quarterback averaging 10 yards per pass attempt.
6. Ian Book (Notre Dame) – Book just took over the starting job three weeks ago but looks great as a passer. He is shorter than ideal (6-foot, 203 pounds), but has completed over 70% of his passes and led the Irish to big victories, including over Stanford a couple of weeks ago and at Virginia Tech on Saturday. In the Stanford contest, Book connected of 24 of his 33 passes (73% completion) for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns, with no interceptions. He added 47 yards on the ground. For the season, Book has 887 passing yards on 73% passing, 9 touchdowns, with just 1 interception. On the ground, Book has added 81 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has put up these numbers in just over three games.
5. Sam Ehlinger (Texas) – Ehlinger has suffered through adversity on and off the field. His father passed away in 2013 while competing in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. The Longhorns were in disarray Ehlinger’s Freshman year but have rebounded this season after the disappointing loss in the opener to Maryland. After Saturday’s hard-fought victory over Oklahoma, Ehlinger has completed 132 of his 202 passes (65%) on the season for 1,499 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. He has added 225 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground. The Sophomore has a big frame (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) and will need to re-shape his body before going pro, but Ehlinger is a solid NFL prospect. He was awesome versus the Sooners.
4. K.J. Costello (Stanford) – Costello has played a lot of football in his tenure at Stanford. He redshirted his first year at Stanford in 2016. Costello entered 2017 as a backup to Keller Chryst and made his first career start against UCLA after Chryst was injured the week before. He returned to the backup role after the game but took over the starting role prior to the eighth game of the season. Costello remained at the helm throughout the rest of the season and finished with 1,573 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. With an NFL physique (6-foot-5, 217 pounds), Costello could be a second-day pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He led the Cardinal to the big overtime win at Oregon a few weeks ago. In that contest, Costello completed 19 of 26 passes (73% completion) for 327 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. As opposing defenses focus on stopping Bryce Love, Costello must move the offense through the air. With Love out for the game against Utah on Saturday, Costello could not muster enough offense versus a quality defense. For the season, he has completed 63 % of his passes for 1,611 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 6 picks.
3. Kellen Mond (Texas A&M) – ESPN had Mond ranked in a tie for the top spot as the nation’s best dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 recruiting class. He was thrown into a mess last year as a Freshman and did not play especially well, but Mond is much improved this year. Mond led the Aggies in competitive games against Clemson and Alabama, almost upsetting the former, and the upset Saturday over Kentucky. While he still has much room to grow as a passer, the improvement is apparent, and he could be special in a couple of years. With a good build (6-foot-2, 210 pounds), Mond has the look of an NFL player. He was a great high school player at high-powered IMG Academy. Mond was named Under Armour All-American. Mond set the IMG Academy season records for passing touchdowns and rushing touchdowns as a Senior in 2016. After the game against the tough Kentucky defense, Mond has run for 230 yards and scored 4 touchdowns to go with 1,447 passing yards and 9 touchdowns on 61% passing. He has his team at 4-2 and improving every week.
2. Jake Fromm (Georgia) – Fromm has been a star from a young age. He led his Little League team to World Series, just missing the championship game. As a high schooler, Fromm was one of three players featured in the documentary, “QB1: Beyond the Lights”. He originally committed to Alabama before changing his mind – and commitment – to Georgia. Taking over for an injured Jacob Eason in the season opener, Fromm has flourished and never looked back. Anchored by a strong running game (Sony Michel and Nick Chubb), Fromm asked to keep the offense on track as a Freshman. As a Sophomore and the stud backs now in the NFL, Fromm has upped his completion percentage to almost 73%, which is amazing considering he averages over 10 yards per pass attempt. After the Vanderbilt game on Saturday, Fromm has 1,200 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, with just 2 interceptions. The Bulldogs will go as far as their young quarterback can take them. He has them at 6-0 at the midpoint of the season.
1. Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) – Tua brought the Crimson Tide back from a large halftime deficit to win the national championship earlier this year. Since that game, he has solidified the role as the starting quarterback for the top team in the country. Born and raised in Hawaii, we first saw him star in the US Army high school game and it was apparent that Tagovailoa could effortlessly throw the football down the field. With the strong running game, the left-handed passer rarely needs to throw. After the big performance against Arkansas, Tagovailoa now has just 26 incompletions against 20 total touchdowns and no interceptions. He averaged a whopping 33 yards per completion. The Alabama star Sophomore has completed 75 % of his passes for 1,495 yards. He has been truly special.
Feel free to (email me) with feedback. Also, I am on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/JeffTefertiller), LinkedIn, and Google+, so you can ask me questions on one of these as well.
