Devy Analysis
In the first part of this first look at the 2023 running backs, I briefly broke down my top five running backs in the incoming freshman class. Depending on the number of devy prospects owned in your league, there’s a great chance that all five of those backs will be selected in your drafts. This next group of five will likely only be taken in deeper leagues, if at all.
With devy drafts coming up, we are going to explore the players with the highest ceilings, floors, and some dark horses who could make a difference on dynasty fantasy teams in the upcoming years. Whether you are in rebuild mode or a strong contender, if you plan on using your devy draft picks then your strategy is relatively the same. Always take the best player available, always take a sure thing over a wildcard, and always stay up to date with the DFF Devy Team.
Drafting a freshman running back is a mixed bag, but when they hit, it can position a team very nicely for the future (see 2017 recruiting class). The incoming freshman class has a few guys who I’m willing to take a chance on.
“Son, you gotta get bigger, you gotta get stronger, and you gotta get faster!” Every football player at every level has heard these words countless times.
Each year, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic procures a list of the freak athletes in college football. This list has proven to be incredibly useful for fantasy football, an actionable piece of information.
#1 JR, LB, Micah Parsons, Penn State
Parsons led the team in tackles as a true freshman (82) and wasn’t a full-time starter. A year later he was that starter and led the team again (109) while becoming a complete impact linebacker. Along with his 109 tackles, he added 14 tackles for a loss, five sacks, four forced fumbles, and five pass breakups.
The science of drafting QBs by NFL teams is suspect at best, thus identifying successful QB prospects has even more difficulties. Even the art of selecting and developing quarterback prospects are questionable to the naked eye. Here we will try to identify quarterback prospects who have gigantic potential returns that are still readily available, across devy fantasy leagues.
There are a lot of great wide receivers in college football right now, despite losing what has been said as the deepest wide receiver class in recent history this year. Ja’Marr Chase had the best statistical season in 2019, and I don’t think it would be wise to argue that. However, there is someone else who can be a generational talent both in college football and the NFL.
The Oregon Ducks have one of the best up and coming defenses in college football. Even losing such a high caliber player such as senior linebacker Troy Dye to the NFL Draft, the cupboard is far from bare in Eugene. The Ducks have some super talented young pieces that they will build around and keep them in the hunt, for not only a PAC-12 Championship each year but a BCS Playoff spot as well. Let’s take a look at the stars that will carry this team over the next two to three years.
Every year, recruits enter the college game and our devy radar. While it is risky to select a player before seeing them on a college field, it’s super satisfying owning someone as a freshman, then watching that player score points for you on Sundays. Other positions are different, but when I see “it” in a high school quarterback, I don’t hesitate to select said player in my devy drafts. Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, two of the highest-rated recruits in 24/7 history, still fell in devy drafts due to their age despite showing “it”.
One of the biggest surprises of this past January in the devy community was Travis Etienne’s decision to return to school. It is obviously a shock to many that a running back as accomplished as Etienne would make the announcement that he was returning to Clemson for his senior year. With this decision, however, Travis Etienne re-enters the devy pool and is definitely someone we should all be intimately familiar with by the time the 2021 NFL Draft rolls around next April.
In high school, wide receiver prospects can jump off the page when they go up and win a jump ball over a DB, burn coverage down the field with speed, show elusiveness in the open field, or run over a would-be tackler. Very rarely, however, does one player possess a skill set that enables them to consistently do all of the above. Let me introduce you to a prospect who does, Julian Fleming. Fleming is a 6’2”, 200 lbs. WR from Catawissa, PA, and is committed to playing at Ohio State, starting next year.
The Georgia Bulldogs ended National Signing day with the #1 ranked overall class and the #1 SEC class, according to 247 Sports Composite. The Bulldogs were able to hold off the serious challenges by Alabama and Clemson. While there are still a few prospects to sign, it looks as if Georgia wan the 2020 race! Let’s take a closer look at the defensive prospects that have committed to them in this class.
This is the final round of a three-round mock draft highlighting the top talent of the 2021 and 2022 classes for superflex dynasty leagues.
One of the hottest names in college football recruiting at the moment is Zachary Evans, an RB from North Shore, Texas. Evans is ranked as the #2 running back and #16 overall player in the country according to 247Sports. He had recently committed to the University of Georgia but has since decommitted and opened up his recruitment again. His commitment is one of the hottest topics in CFB recruiting at the moment, and everyone is interested to see where such a talented player will end up.
If you missed round one of my Superflex Devy mock, it can be found here. Round one was loaded with talent, and round two isn’t much different. This is the second round of a three-round mock draft highlighting the top talent of the 2021 and 2022 classes.
With the declaration deadline officially passing, now seems more than fitting for a Superflex Devy mock draft. The next two classes have an abundance of talent. This is just the first round of a three-round mock draft highlighting the top talent of the 2021 and 2022 classes.
For the 2020 class to live up to the hefty expectations placed upon them by devy communities, it requires the necessary guys to declare. Fortunately for the owners who mortgaged their future for this class, those pieces are falling into place. This class contains a few running back prospects who have the potential to be RB1s and league winners for multiple years. One of these running backs is Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor. Taylor enters the pre-draft process as a tier-one RB and my RB2.
“Athlete” Lynn Bowden Jr. was not a player I was very familiar with until the Belk Bowl Brawl. If you are not aware, Bowden Jr. was involved in a pre-game scuffle before the Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech game. It was the drama that got my attention, but it was his play on the field that intrigued me.
Just a week and a half ago was the early signing period in college football for players who had made up their minds on where they wanted to continue their academic and athletic careers, ready to sign their National Letter of Intent. The Vols’ start to the early signing period set the pace for the rest of the day. Most of the early signees were players that had been committed to their respective schools for months, making it known over social media that their recruitment process was completely shutdown.
Kyree Miller – Interview Tennessee Vols commit West Mesquite High …
he talent in this RB class has been spoken of with high regard. D’Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor, and JK Dobbins are all skilled backs who look like early first-round picks in dynasty rookie drafts. To those unfortunate enough to miss out on those guys, don’t worry. There’s a player who can be had later in this draft who can ease your worries. This man resides in Tempe, Arizona and he’s good at football. I am pleased to introduce you to Eno Benjamin.
Tyler Johnson was just a three-star ranked prospect coming out of North Senior highschool in Minneapolis when he committed to the University of Minnesota. Johnson was the 33rd ranked athlete by 247Sports coming out of high school and wasn’t even ranked as a wide receiver.
Jalen Reagor is a former four-star recruit and was ranked as the 13th best wide receiver in his class by 247Sports. Reagor would commit to Texas Christian and go on to have three successful seasons as a pass-catcher, even if the box scores didn’t always look good. Reagor fell victim to bad offenses and scheming at times but would still flash his upside through this all.
Isaiah Hodgins, out of Oregon State, is a so-called “diamond in the rough” prospect for this 2020 WR class that has heads turning.
After being criminally underused in his junior campaign for the Horned Frogs, the speedy Jalen Reagor announced on Twitter that he will be forgoing his senior year at TCU and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at what Jalen brings to the table.