Dynasty Analysis
Jeremy Ruckert was a New York State Gatorade Player of the Year and USA Today first-team High School All-American coming out of high school. He was rated the number one tight end prospect in the nation before signing with Ohio State. As a true freshman, Ruckert played in 12 games as a reserve. In 2019, he started three games for the Buckeyes. He was an All-Conference selection in 2020 (13 – 151, five TDs). He was an honorable mention selection again this past season, setting career bests with 26 receptions for 309 yards and scoring three times. It is important to note that Ruckert played with two first-round picks in former teammates Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, as well as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who should be selected in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft.
Bell should compete with Donovan Peoples-Jones for the WR2 spot on this team. He’s a top-20 receiver in this class, and he’ll likely be fantasy relevant early on in his career. He’s middle-round talent in both rookie and start-up leagues. You should be able to tell early on if Bell has a bright future with one of the best quarterbacks in the league slinging him the ball. In redraft leagues, he may be worth a late-round selection, but he has a lot to prove this offseason before then.
Gray is a former high school state champion in the 100-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay. He took his elite speed to the field for a University called Blinn College for two years. He came out of those two years labeled as the top junior college prospect in the country, as he hauled in 54 receptions for 877 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games played as a sophomore. Then he took his talents to SMU. In 18 career games played for the Mustangs, Gray hauled in 82 receptions for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also accumulated 70 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just six attempts.
Rachaad White had to go the long, difficult route to get to the pros, but he earned every bit of it along the way. After committing to D2 Nebraska Kearney, he left for community college. White played two years at Mt. San Antonio College, becoming a first-team junior college All-American in 2019 (1,264 yards, 10 TDs rushing). In his first year with ASU, White led the FBS with a 10.0 YPC (42-420 in four games, three starts) average and five TDs. He also led the Sun Devils’ RBs in receiving yards that season. This past season White was a phenom and garnered second-team All-Pac-12 honors, leading the Sun Devils with 1,006 rushing yards and 15 scores on the ground and 43-456 receiving, despite missing time with a right leg injury (eight starts in 11 games played).
A talented athlete who put together tremendous productivity during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He started to break out during the 2019 season, as he led the Jaguars with six receiving touchdowns. But his real coming-out party came in 2020. In 11 games played, he hauled in 64 receptions for 1,085 yards and eight touchdowns. His 1,085 receiving yards were the seventh-most in the nation. He decided to stay one more year, which paid off mightily as he topped nearly every 2020 number. Tolbert ranked sixth in the FBS with 1,474 yards, as he set a school record with 82 receptions to go along with eight more touchdowns. His 178 receptions and 3,140 receiving yards during his collegiate career were also school records.
The former walk-on improved each season at UCLA. He’s a former three-star wide receiver who didn’t start until the 2020 season. He started to make a name for himself, as he led the Bruins in receiving with 517 yards and five touchdowns. He followed that with an impressive 2021 campaign, hauling in 42 receptions for 725 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged an eye-popping 18.3 yards per reception during his final two seasons at UCLA.
After two seasons as the understudy at Auburn University, Willis made the best decision of his career and transferred to Liberty. He then took off and combined for 5,107 passing yards, 47 passing touchdowns, 1,822 rushing yards, and 27 rushing touchdowns in 23 games played. Willis has all the tools and upside in the world to become a solid starting quarterback in the NFL eventually. He isn’t a guaranteed product, but his ceiling is higher than any other signal-callers in this year’s draft. Willis showcases a rare combination of a strong arm and elite rushing abilities. In today’s NFL, that’s exactly what teams are looking for.
Mafe was a three-star recruit from Hopkins, Minnesota who opted to play for his home-state team, the Golden Gophers. The redshirt senior took time to develop and emerge at the University of Minnesota despite an athletic profile extraordinary in the Twin Cities. He started 13 of a possible 19 games in his last two seasons according to The Football Database, collecting 61 tackles including 15.5 for loss and 11.5 QB sacks.
Ridder has seen a sharp rise in dynasty SuperFlex ADP ever since his strong combine showing. I have done three FFPC SF startup drafts in the last two months and took him in the 20th round in one and the 9th in the most recent. I was expecting him to go in the first round and the dramatic fall of QBs in this draft does not make me feel great about the draft capital here. That said, if Ridder can learn behind Mariota, the sky could be the limit with Kyle Pitts and Drake London as cornerstone offensive weapons to play with in year two and beyond. I think this largely torpedoed Ridder’s redraft and best-ball value, but as only the second QB off the board, Ridder has a chance to become an incredible value play for both the Falcons and dynasty players. I expect him to go somewhere in the mid to late first round of SuperFlex drafts and for him to present an intriguing value in single-QB leagues somewhere in the late second to mid-third of rookie drafts.
John Metchie III is an early-declare WR that just dominated the SEC and is coming off of injury. Metchie III was good enough to start alongside fellow Alabama alumni and first-round picks Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith in 2020. This past season, Metchie was relied upon to be Bryce Young’s go-to receiver, a role he was effective in until teammate Jameson Williams began to blossom and he shared the load. Like Williams, Metchie also went down with an unfortunate ACL injury at the end of the season, just two games before Jameson did.
Woods came into college as a quarterback but quickly shifted to tight end early on at Oklahoma State. Although his production wasn’t anything to be amazed by, Woods was voted honorable mention all-conference, as he hauled in seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in six games played. He earned the same accolades in 2019 and 2020 as a tight end with little productions. After his Junior season, the big-bodied tight end transferred to Virginia for his senior season. That turned into a wise move, as he set career highs with 44 receptions for 598 yards in 11 games played. He earned first-team All-ACC honors and finished tied for ninth in the school’s history with eight touchdown receptions in a single season.
During his four years at USC, Jones Jr. showed flashes as a return specialist and saw limited time as a receiver on offense. He found a larger offensive role after transferring to Tennessee University. In his final season this past year, Jones Jr. hauled in 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns. Although he produced as a receiver, he was noticed by earning second-team all-conference notice as a kick returner. He finished his collegiate career with 2,973 kick return yards and two kick return touchdowns while averaging 24.4 yards per kick return.
The younger brother of Dalvin Cook. James split time with Zamir White for most of his collegiate career. White served as the primary rusher, and Cook spent a ton of his time as a lethal receiver out of the backfield. In 46 career games for the Bulldogs, Cook hauled 67 receptions for 730 yards and six touchdowns. During his first three seasons, he didn’t receive much work on the ground. During those three years, Cook combined for 775 yards on 117 carries (6.6 yards per attempt) and seven touchdowns. He produced 728 yards on 113 carries (6.4 yards per attempt) and seven touchdowns in his senior season alone. No matter how he got the ball, he turned in solid production in his limited role.
Being paired with Patrick Mahomes is as good as you can ask for with a rookie wide receiver prospect. Tyreek Hill is gone along with his 1239 receiving yards. Moore figures to step in and contribute immediately. I have Moore ranked as the number eight wide receiver in this class for projected future dynasty value. He has the potential to make an impact at the next level but he does not profile as a number one receiver. Moore should go off the board in rookie drafts in the early second-round.
Ebiketie was a three-star recruit from Kensington, Maryland who began his college career at Temple. He didn’t emerge until his junior year but parlayed his performance in a pandemic-shortened season into a scholarship at Penn State. He replaced Odafe Oweh, a first-round pick of the Ravens last year, and capitalized on his opportunity. Ebiketie collected 62 tackles including 18 for loss and 9.0 sacks while starting all 12 games for the Nittany Lions in 2021.
After serving as a special teams player during the 2018 season, Pierce was given an opportunity with the Bearcats on offense in 2019. He started 12 of the 13 games and led the team with 652 receiving yards. Pierce led Cincinnati with 18.5 yards per reception the next season but was limited to just six games with a shoulder injury. In his final season, he bounced back in a big way, as Pierce was named a first-team Academic All-American. In 14 games played, he hauled in 52 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
McBride put together a marvelous high school career, excelling in three different sports. He earned All-Colorado honors for football. He set his high school record for most RBIs and home runs hit in baseball. And he set the school record for most career points scored in basketball. At Colorado State University, McBride was a viable receiving option during his first three seasons. Then, he popped off during his Senior year, accumulating 1,121 receiving yards and one touchdown on 90 receptions. During the 12 games played in 2021, McBride hauled in at least six receptions in 11 of them. He also produced at least 59 receiving yards in 11 of the 12 as well. His average of 7.5 receptions and 93.4 yards per game in 2021 shows that he’s used to producing large workloads.
After making the mistake of signing with Wake Forest, Kenneth Walker III was relegated to a committee backfield his first two collegiate seasons. Though he produced well, the coaching and supporting cast held him back. However, he chose to transfer to the BIG10 and joined Mel Tucker’s Spartans before this past season. As a junior this past season, he exploded for 1636 yards on 263 carries for a 6.2 YPC average. He averaged a reception per game and scored 19 TDs and proceeded to win the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Doak Walker (nation’s top running back) awards, in addition to receiving first-team Associated Press All-American and Big Ten Running Back of the Year honors.
Thornton committed to Baylor after dominating in both track and football at Booker T. Washington High School. After a limited role during his freshman season, Thornton put together a solid 2019 campaign. He hauled in 45 receptions for 782 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. He missed some time and showed a ton of inconsistency during the 2020 season before putting together his best collegiate season in 2021. Thornton was a second-team all-conference receiver, as he led the Bears with 62 receptions for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns.
George Pickens | Georgia 6’3” 200 lbs. | 03/04/2001 (Age […]
If he didn’t transfer away from Nebraska after his first two seasons, there’s no telling if Robinson would have ever made it to the NFL. In his first two seasons with the Cornhuskers, the shifty receiver played in 18 games, hauled in 91 receptions for 914 yards, produced 580 rushing yards, and scored seven combined touchdowns. He decided to move closer to his hometown (Frankfort) and transfer to Kentucky University. That decision allowed Robinson to show the true player he was, and he broke out in a big way. In 13 games played, the standout receiver hauled in a whopping 104 receptions for 1,334 yards and seven touchdowns. His 104 receptions were the third-most in all of FBS. On top of that, his 1,334 receiving yards were the 11th most. He did see a dip in production as a rusher, but he turned in 111 yards on the ground on seven attempts. He was Kentucky’s top option on offense, and they did everything they could to get him the ball. Robinson decided to play in Kentucky’s bowl game win over Iowa, unlike many pro prospects. He was named the Citrus Bowl MVP after hauling in 10 receptions for 170 yards.
Hall will likely start the season splitting touches with Carter Jr. Eventually, we should expect Hall to take over as the team’s lead back. He’s a future workhorse and a surefire RB2 (at least) to start off his career. In dynasty start-ups, he’s a considerable choice in the late second round/early third round. For redraft, he may be an early second-round talent. He’s a top-two running back in this class, and he’s going to receive ample amounts of opportunities in New York.
Watson was the leading receiver on the 2019 North Dakota State team which featured Trey Lance at quarterback, with 732 yards receiving. He had 43 receptions for 801 yards his senior year. North Dakota was consistently blowing out their opponents, so you will not see eye-popping volume statistics for Watson. He is explosive, garnering 57 plays of 20+ yards over his college career. When you look at his rate stats they are far more impressive. Watson’s dominator rating was 44.0%. This is 90th percentile among prospects and ranked fifth overall. The receiving yards per team pass attempt was also solid at 3.12.
While at first, you may wonder about the landing spot, since Jacksonville just signed Foye Oluokun to a big deal, let us consider the entire picture. Foye is an undersized weakside LB, where he excelled in Atlanta the past two years. Devin Lloyd fills the prototypical three-down middle Linebacker role. Also, remember that Jacksonville traded up to make this selection, which tells how highly they think of Lloyd. The Jaguars project to play a lot of snaps on defense in the coming seasons, so Lloyd can really pay dividends as an IDP investment. Expect to see him drafted in the early-to-mid second round of IDP dynasty rookie drafts.
While he didn’t crush the athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine, Hamilton still performed fine. He recorded a 4.59 40-yard dash time and a 38-inch vertical jump. His broad jump was 132 inches and his three-cone time was a respectable 6.90. He chose not to participate in the bench press. Hamilton has a unique blend of size, athletic ability, and experience which make him capable of playing literally anywhere on the field.