Flag Planting for the 2026 College Football Season
Long-term success in Devy and C2C formats means planting your flag on college prospects early, before the market catches up. Some player takes that your league mates consider absurd today could be consensus in a couple of months; that’s how fast this landscape moves.
With that in mind, I’m going on record with four of my spiciest Devy/C2C takes for the 2026 CFB season. There will always be swings and misses in these formats, but when I do make contact, I want it to be a home run.
1. Mario Craver will be runner-up for the Biletnikoff and go in Round 1 of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Mario Craver is one of the more polarizing players in Devy formats today. There are certainly “truthers” (like myself) out there, but most are concerned his playstyle and frame will limit his NFL ceiling.
I have very few concerns with Craver. Sure, he’s undersized, but he reportedly put on a ton of size this offseason and is up to 180 pounds. He always played bigger than his listed size, but physicality should no longer be an issue.
Craver is a twitchy, dynamic route runner who can win at all three levels and has the acceleration to take the top off of defenses. He was also outproducing first-round talent KC Concepcion in the early part of the 2025 season, with 440 receiving yards and four touchdowns through the first three games. Craver has his quarterback, Marcel Reed, back, and projects to be the clear WR1 for the Aggies. 1200 yards and eight touchdowns will be his floor in 2026.
2. Jonathan Hatton Jr. will be the Sooners’ clear RB1 by the end of the season.
I’ll take it a step further: Hatton will be valued as a top 12 running back in Devy by this time next year. He has plenty of backfield competition this year, with Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock returning, as well as Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant. But I think the consensus four-star freshman will ultimately prove to be the most talented of the bunch and be a starter late in the year.
Hatton has received nothing but rave reviews from the Oklahoma coaching staff this offseason. Reports say he’s around 230 pounds right now, but highly explosive and lightning fast for his size.
I liked what I saw on his high school tape, displaying a willingness to initiate contact and showing decisiveness behind the line. He’s more of your one-cut, downhill runner, and once he gets momentum, he’s tough to bring down. I think Hatton could be really special.
To access the rest of this article, login or become a member. 
Flag Planting for the 2026 College Football Season Read More »





















