SAM HARTMAN, QB WAKE FOREST, 2022 ELIGIBLE
This past Saturday, there was a shootout in the ACC between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the University of North Carolina Tarheels. The Tarheels managed to pull an upset over the undefeated Demon Deacons, but it was not due to lack of effort from QB Sam Hartman. The 6’1” 208 lbs. redshirt sophomore had 476 total yards and seven total touchdowns. Hartman has been on my shortlist of QBs the past few weeks and his monstrous performance earned him a spotlight this week.
Statistically speaking Hartman is having a fantastic season, leading the ACC in both Adjusted Passing Yards Per Attempt (10.6) and total TDs (36). The fourth-year “sophomore” has been an efficient passer, completing 62.5% of his passes for 2,873 yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Hartman is a capable runner, also adding 286 yards and eight more touchdowns on the ground. As seen below, when called, he has the necessary quickness to convert with his legs:
He is no Matt Corral, Malik Willis, or even Sam Howell when it comes to rushing, but you don’t just luck into eight rushing touchdowns in nine games.
As a passer Hartman shows good touch and accuracy down the field. He does not have a rocket arm but has enough arm strength to make all the throws you need your QB to make. I believe Hartman does a good job throwing his receivers open and gives his pass-catchers the ability to be playmakers after the catch. He does not “wow” me as a passer but he is a very solid thrower of the football. He reminds me of Kirk Cousins but with a bit more creativity and upside thanks to his above-average athleticism for a QB.
When evaluating Hartman as a Devy asset, I struggle to give him a concrete value. He is eligible to go pro this season but I am not sure he will. If he were to leave Wake Forest after the season, I think he would likely be a third-round pick. However, if he were to come back and have another strong season, he could potentially sneak into the first round come 2023. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are likely the top two QBs taken in 2023, but with D.J. Uiagalelei struggling this year, the QB3 spot in the 2023 class is wide-open in my opinion. I view Hartman as a “hold” and someone that is 100% worth keeping tabs on moving forward.
JAHMYR GIBBS, RB GEORGIA TECH, 2023 ELIGIBLE
It feels like Jahmyr Gibbs is the forgotten RB in the 2023 class, or at least that is how it feels on Twitter. Bijan Robinson is the set in stone RB1 and Tank Bigsby follows behind him. I believe I could then make the case that Zachary Evans and Sean Tucker are the two most highly touted RBs in the 2023 class after Robinson and Bigsby. Gibbs seems to be left behind when it comes to the hype on Twitter. After 763 total yards in seven games last year, Gibbs now has 1,031 total yards through nine games in 2021. All Gibbs has done is average over 100 yards a game, but I rarely see analysts talking about him.
Gibbs is a weapon as both a rusher and a receiver and he put that on display against Miami on Saturday. The 5’11” 200 lbs. sophomore rushed for 67 yards and added 72 yards receiving for two total touchdowns in a loss to Miami. The dual-threat running back is an explosive play waiting to happen:
I am not sure if it is his BMI of just 27.9 that is making people doubt him, but you cannot deny he is an exceptional football player. In today’s NFL, I have a hard time fading Gibbs considering the upside he brings as a pass-catcher. Through nine games Gibbs is tied for most receiving yards for the Yellow Jackets with 440, an impressive feat for an RB.
Gibbs has elite quickness and contact balance, to pair with his excellent pass-catching ability. It is these traits that remind me of both Alvin Kamara and D’Andre Swift. Gibbs however is not as compactly built as Kamara and Swift. Kamara sports a BMI of 30.7 and Swift a BMI of 32.2 significantly thicker than Gibbs and his BMI of 27.9. When it comes to building, Jahmyr Gibbs is closer to Christian McCaffrey, who is also a fantastic pass catcher. I do not believe it is fair to compare anyone to McCaffrey, but based on size and play style alone is not a stretch.
As I previously mentioned, I believe Gibbs is underrated as a Devy asset. Because he is underrated, I think he is “buy’. I do not think you will be able to easily acquire Gibbs off of his current owner, he is not a “throw-in” player, but given that he is not firmly in the top three of the 2023 RB class I believe that makes him a value. Pass catching backs are cheat-codes and don’t require a high snap rate to be productive fantasy players. I would feel comfortable offering a late 1st round pick or a player or that value for Gibbs at the moment.
JAHAN DOTSON, WR PENN STATE, 2022 ELIGIBLE
The 5’11” 184 lbs. senior had a career day on Saturday:
Jahan Dotson is dominating in 2021, continuing his success from last season. In nine games last year, Dotson had 884 yards and eight touchdowns, and now through nine games in 2021 Dotson has 932 yards and nine touchdowns. Although his success is later in his college career, his dominance cannot be ignored. His production and strong film has not gone unnoticed. NFL Draft expert and analyst Mel Kiper is very high on the Nittany Lions’ WR. As of September 30th, Kiper had Dotson as the No. 8 player overall and WR1 on his 2022 NFL Draft Big Board.
Mel Kiper and “Film Twitter” are bullish on Dotson, but “Analytics Twitter” will likely be lower on Dotson. As I previously mentioned, Jahan Dotson did not have much success early on in his career. He did not “break out” until his junior year and he then returned for his senior year. Both the breakout age of 20.5 and the non-early declare are red flags for the analytics community. I tend to lean towards the analytics side when evaluating WRs so I will likely be lower on Dotson than those that rely on film analysis for WR evaluation. I cannot deny that Dotson looks like a very good football player and could get 1st Round draft capital, but in my process, I prefer WRs that break out in their freshmen or sophomore year and enter the draft before their senior year. Dotson would be considered an outlier in my process, but “Film Twitter” specializes in identifying analytical outliers. Dotson is not my cup of tea, but don’t allow me to turn you off of Dotson. With his strong dominator rating, and likely high draft capital, there is enough good in his profile to like Jahan Dotson.
I hope you took something out of this edition of “Devy Players of the Week”. If you enjoyed it you can follow me on Twitter @RookieWhisper.
