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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, we will look at a different set of devy rankings.
These are very young players who should improve greatly as they see more playing time. The first few players ranked have excelled as Freshmen. The remainder of the players listed could end up being better NFL prospects. The 2018 NFL Draft is a long ways off and much can happen between now and then.
This series of articles focuses on players who should be considered on their respective NFL prospects not college production. In this article, we will take a look at the prospects who will be eligible for the 2018 NFL Draft. Also, keep in mind that one or more of the players eligible to turn pro when eligible will actually stay in school.
5. Jake Browning (Washington) – The true Freshman has excelled in the relative obscurity of the Pacific Northwest. Standing 6'2”, and weighing 205 pounds, Browning has played through injuries (specifically the shoulder injury that cause him to miss the Stanford contest) and played well. He threw four touchdowns in the first game back against Arizona, even while still feeling the effects of the injury. Browning was able to lead the Huskies to an easy win over the weekend against state rival Washington State Cougars. Through his first ten games of his college career, Browning has completed 63% of his passes, for 2,671 yards, and a 16-109 TD-INT ratio. Those are great numbers. One of the best selling points for devy owners will be Chris Petersen as his head coach. Petersen is very good with quarterbacks.
4. Derrius Guice (LSU) – Guice is already finding carries behind superstar Leonard Fournette. He will have to wait until after next season to be the primary ball carrier, but Guice has impressed. The 5'11”, 215-pound true Freshman was named the SEC Freshman Player of the Week after the game against South Carolina. He rushed for 161 yards in that game, three more than Fournette. Guice was ranked RB2 by Rivals and has shown that to be an accurate ranking. Guice was the MVP of the US Army All-American game. In the summer of 2014, Guice – a local Louisiana player – attended a LSU camp. During the camp, he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash. This is impressive for a high schooler of his size. The SEC will be stacked at the running back position once again with Harris and Guice behind Derrick Henry and Fournette. Guice is a star. With the poor quarterback play for LSU, Fournette and Guice will be heavily relied upon down the stretch.
3. Saquon Barkley (Penn State) – While not as highly touted as the four above, Barkley has been studly as a true Freshman. The 5'11”, 215 pounder is fast, earning the gold medal in the 100 yard dash for Eastern Pennsylvania. In his first year, Barkley is carrying the Penn State offense with the struggles of Christian Hackenberg at quarterback. After the game against Northwestern, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah (a former NFL scout) said Barkley is "going to be really, really good." We concur. He is producing big numbers even when opposing defenses know Barkley is the only weapon in the Nittany Lions offense. Through his first nine games of the season, Barkley has carried the ball 165 times for 1,007 yards and scored seven times. He has added another 148 yards and a touchdown through the air. Those are great numbers for Barkley in the one-dimensional offense.
2. Christian Kirk (Texas A&M) – Many discounted Kirk due to his smallish frame (5'11, 190 pounds), but the true Freshman has been the best receiver for the Aggies this season. He played wide receiver, running back, kick returner, and defensive back in high school. Kirk is an elite athlete. His quickness allows Kirk to get open with ease, even against strong defenses. He could top the 1,000-yard mark in total yards in the bowl game, which is quite an accomplishment. Through the first eleven games as an Aggie, Kirk has caught 70 balls for 925 yards and six touchdowns. He has added another 45 yards on the ground. As a high school Senior, Kirk ran for 1,700 yards and added another 1,200 more yards receiving.
1. Josh Rosen (UCLA) – Rosen has possibly been the best quarterback in the country this season. As a true Freshman, he has shown the poise and a strong arm of an upperclassman. Rosen has NFL size, 6'4”, 208 pounds and has excelled as a pocket passer. Through his first eleven games as a collegian, Rosen has thrown for over 3,350 yards and a 20-9 TD-INT ratio this season. The most impressive statistic may be the 60 % completion percentage. Considering the impressive start to his collegiate career, we expect Rosen to develop further and become the unquestioned top college quarterback by next season.
Honorable Mention
Damien Harris (Alabama) – Harris had many offers to leave his home in from Berea, KY. Many recruiting services had the 5'11”, 205-pound true Freshman as the top back in the class. He is more polished than most youngsters, possessing speed, explosiveness, and the vision to cut back and find a lane to break open a big play. Even though a knee injury limited Harris to just seven games as a high school Senior, he still rushed for 1,474 yards and 23 touchdowns. Alabama continues to have a pipeline at the running back position. Harris may need Henry and Drake to leave before starring.
Jarrett Stidham (Baylor) – Stidham has looked great since replacing the injured Seth Russell, who was lost for the season with a fractured neck bone. Stidham is just a true Freshman, but looked fantastic in limited playing time. The 6'2”, 213-pound youngster will miss the remainder of the season himself with a broken bone in his ankle. He suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Oklahoma State game. If he looked comfortable in the Baylor offense, well he should. Stidham starred at Stephenville High School, where Baylor coach Art Briles installed the system in the late 1980s and 1990s. The combination of Briles and the system gave Baylor a huge edge in recruiting Stidham.
DeMarkus Lodge (Mississippi) – Lodge was a superstar in high school. He has just one reception this season for the true Freshman. The youngster has great size (6'2”, 184 pounds) and is a polished receiver. Lodge is great in the air and is very athletic. He is not as fast as many would hope, but has a bright future. Ole Miss has Laquon Treadwell and Quincy Adeboyejo (Lodge's high school teammate) locked in as starters. It might be 2016 before Lodge emerges as a starter.
Deon Cain (Clemson) – Many people who follow and write about college recruiting had Cain as one of the top players in the entire class. The former high school quarterback has been clocked at 4.44 40-yard dash. For Clemson, Cain has emerged the past few games to fill the void of Mike Williams, who was lost for the season after suffering a neck injury. Cain is a physically impressive player (6'1”, 210 pounds), with great speed, and is learning how to become a star at the receiver position. The top-ranked Clemson Tigers will need Cain's play-making ability in the playoffs. He is the wide receiver star who is building the most buzz nationally.
Calvin Ridley (Florida State) – Ridley has enjoyed an impressive Freshman season. The 6'0”, 180-pound Freshman has taken over the WR1 duties for the Crimson Tide. We expect Ridley to continue to add bulk to his slight frame. He is a dangerous receiver down the field and with the ball in his hands. But, Ridley has impressed most with his ability to win contested passes. The Freshman has an impressive ability to high-point the ball and aggressively attack it. This is a trait which will translate well in the NFL. For those who track the age of the incoming rookies, Ridley is one year older than most of these receivers, and two years older than one or two (e.g., Kirk Merritt – see below). The age is a concern if looked at in the context that his ceiling might not be as high as an 18-year old incoming Freshman. He still is a great prospect nonetheless. Through his first twelve games at Alabama, Ridley has caught 67 passes for 791 yards and five touchdowns. This is very solid production for a young receiver in a run-oriented offense.
Will Grier (Florida) – The 6'2”, 197 pound redshirt Freshman has made news this year … and for all of the wrong reasons. In October, he was suspended for one year because Grier tested positive for a performance enhancing drug. Yes, he (via his lawyers) will appeal the suspension. But as it looks now, Grier will miss the first half of the 2016 season, too. Grier is not a young prospect, either. He will turn 21 years of age before the end of the suspension. Grier was a big recruit for Florida and has talent. It will be up to Grier to use this year off to get better or if he will slowly drift into the background.
Jacques Patrick (Florida State) – Patrick is a big collegiate back, especially considering he played high school ball a year ago. While starting against Syracuse as starter Dalvin Cook was sidelined with a hamstring injury a few weeks ago, the 6'1”, 232-pound true Freshman rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. Patrick's future is bright. He was Rivals and ESPN RB3 in the class and named Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Florida. That is no small honor given the talent that originates in the state. Patrick will become a household name in the college football community next year. In his first six games suiting up for the Seminoles, Patrick has carried the ball 62 times for 315 yards, and scoring five times. He has added six receptions for 62 yards through the air. Yes, most of his production came with Cook out of the lineup. But, he has flashed big-time potential when given the opportunity.
Jordan Scarlett (Florida) – The 5'11”, 207-pound true Freshman has the size and speed (4.48 40-yard dash) to excel in the SEC. He played at perennial power Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. While Scarlett has the measurables to be successful, he will need to work on his vision and elusiveness. We expect him to develop into one of the premier ball carriers in the country. As a high school Senior, Scarlett carried the ball just 143 times. On those carries, he picked up 1,124 yards and scored 24 times. The youngster is starting to get more carries after a good showing against Georgia a few weeks ago. His role will continue to grow, especially in 2016.
That will do it for the 2018 Draft Class. Next week, we will look at the top overall devy quarterbacks.
Feel free to email me (Tefertiller@Footballguys.com) 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.