Every year top college players graduate, move to the NFL, and transfer. In their wake, they leave a spot behind on their former team for new players to step in and shine. So, here are some players to watch for the (potential at this point) 2020 college football season. The four guys mentioned below have a gift-wrapped opportunity to increase their draft stock and devy prospects.
Spencer Rattler
Rattler is a pretty obvious choice for this article. He was an extremely well known 5-star prospect coming into college and now looks set to inherit the coveted Oklahoma QB spot. The last three Oklahoma quarterbacks have all been drafted inside of the first two rounds. Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield were both selected 1st overall. Lincoln Riley has a well-deserved reputation as a Quarterback Guru. For example, Jalen Hurts‘ completion percentage at Oklahoma was almost 7% higher when compared to his career at Alabama. Compared to Hurts, Rattler already comes in with a more accurate, and arguably stronger, arm. If recent history is any indication, we should be well aware of the seemingly inevitable rise of Rattler’s draft stock before it happens.
Theo Wease
To talk about the next prospect, we don’t have to go much farther than Rattler’s teammate – Theo Wease. Theo Wease was the number three WR in the nation coming into college, according to 247Sports. However, Wease has had to bide his time at OU, with CeeDee Lamb taking the lion’s share of the work in 2019. Coming into 2020, it was speculated that Wease and Jadon Haselwood would be competing for the WR1 role. A role that has produced two first-round WRs in the past two years. Haselwood, unfortunately, tore his ACL and projects to be a non-factor this upcoming year. Wease has outstanding size, as he is 6’3” and 200 pounds, and looks to be in the mold of Lamb. He provides one of the best options for return on investment when looking at devy prospects, as his cost is essentially free compared to his ceiling.
Joe Ngata
The Clemson WR pipeline over the past decade has been dominant, consistent, and well-known. From Hopkins and Watkins to Renfrow and Higgins, the wide receivers at Clemson have produced well in college and gone on to be drafted highly in the NFL. Justyn Ross appeared to be the heir apparent to the WR1 role, but injury has ruled him out all of next season and maybe longer. Therefore, Joe Ngata projects to be the leading pass catcher in Ross’ absence. The former 4-star prospect should excel with Trevor Lawrence slinging him the football. Ngata, at 6’3” and 215 pounds, has the physical skillset to dominate opposing corners. His play could propel Clemson’s offense towards competing for the national championship.
Trey Sermon
Lastly, let’s look at Trey Sermon, who has been nothing but disappointing for devy owners during his time at Oklahoma. The former 4-star running back split time in the Sooners backfield with Kennedy Brooks. Unfortunately, he was never able to take hold of the backfield or live up to his potential in Lincoln Riley’s offense. In his final season, he only carried the ball 54 times for 385 yards and caught eight passes. So, while I would normally fade someone who has regressed as their career has gone on, this is all about his new landing spot at Ohio State.
The 215-pound running back has the opportunity to line-up behind Justin Fields next year. He will gain all of the advantages that come with playing beside a quarterback that has the ability to stretch the defense with his legs. Sermon has shown enough for me to believe he will be the lead back ahead of Master Teague. The opportunity for him to provide a nice return on investment means he’s worth picking up in deeper devy leagues.
All of my previous content is available in the archive. Be sure to hit me up for any devy questions or discussions on Twitter @DFF_Caleb
