DFF TV: Dynasty Rookie Prospect Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) – Top Ranked Rookie Wide Receiver
In this edition of DFF TV, join @WillieBeamanDFF featuring Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR Ohio State!
In this edition of DFF TV, join @WillieBeamanDFF featuring Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR Ohio State!
At this point in the off-season, I prefer to write articles on prospects that aren’t in that elite tier so that DFF members have a value-added when reading. After all most have likely heard quite enough about the top prospects in the class to make their decision one way or the other. For that reason, I haven’t done a deep profile on Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In my mind, he is a no-brainer prospect.
We’ve officially passed the NFL draft declaration date and we know who exactly our fresh batch of rookie picks will be. That means no more Twitter speculation and narratives about who will declare. (Looking at you Stroud.) Sure it’s a little early to rank without draft capital. Luckily, we have plenty of numerical data from the regular season we can look at using KPIs based from DFF’s very own Chris Miles. Using the points from his model and tales from the tape, I’ll break down this highly touted rookie class by discussing The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of each prospect.
When we hear the term “X receiver”, what comes to mind? Tall, fast, strong, and with big hands, usually complete that prototype. That is exactly what we see from TCU WR Quentin Johnston. Standing in at 6 ’4” 212lbs., Johnston has asserted himself as one of the nation’s top receiving weapons.
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 TE 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 contests for the Big Ten Champs and brought in 14 passes for 142 yards and four TDs. Ruckert was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection in 2020 (13 – 151, five TDs) when they played the Covid-shortened season. He was an honorable mention selection again this past season, setting career bests with 26 receptions for 309 yards and scoring three times.
Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba combined for 3,600/4,952 (73%) of Ohio State’s team passing yards as well as 34/46 (74%) of total passing TDs. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson have gone down as two of the best Buckeye receivers ever after going back-to-back in the NFL Draft at number 10 and 11 overall. Jaxon on the other hand, who was the most productive of the three, will be back in Columbus for his junior season where he’s been named a team captain and he’s one of the favorites to bring home the Biletnikoff Award. Let’s take a deeper look into each of these players and why we may have just witnessed the best WR room in the history of college football.
Teague has fought hard throughout his career. Never pegged as someone who would excel at the next level, he proved the doubters wrong during his time at Ohio State. Served as a backup to J.K. Dobbins during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Accumulated 895 combined yards on the ground and five touchdowns, during the two seasons, on 152 attempts. Suffered a torn Achilles tendon, but managed to play in seven games in 2020. On 104 attempts, Teague produced 514 yards and eight touchdowns, serving as Trey Sermon’s backup but the primary short-yardage back for the Buckeyes. He put together one final injury-riddled season, where he played in just seven games once again. He only saw 67 attempts in 2021, but rushed for 5.3 yards per attempt and produced 355 yards on the ground and four touchdowns.
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.
Garrett Wilson is a complete receiver who will command significant snaps and targets from day one. He is capable of playing outside and in the slot, and he’s a homerun threat on any given play. Wilson has the upside to produce multiple WR1 seasons, and, perhaps just as important, his top-ten draft slot and skillset make him an incredibly safe investment.
Sports Illustrated reported that over 10 NFL Teams graded Desmond Ridder as a First-Round Talent. Should Ridder meet that expected capital, his dynasty value will skyrocket above 1.12. Landing Ridder anywhere in the second half of your rookie drafts is exceptional value. I would not be surprised to see Ridder valued higher than every quarterback from the 2022 class come this time next season.
Hello, again Fantasy Devy Gamers! We are here again to analyze the latest updates, performances, and NFL buzz surrounding college players that should prove to be integral to their eventual NFL Draft Stock. We will utilize recent statistics, performance and film, and general “front office whispers” to compile the intel shared. The hope is to provide you with a leg up on your opponents. You will know which devy players to target in trades and/or in what range of draft picks (both NFL and fantasy drafts) you can expect these players to be selected.
As our fantasy football season has come to an end, the off-season begins. It is time to examine some of the most pristine college players in the ’23 and ’24 classes. I will be listing my top 10 Devy targets that I will be frantically trying to snatch up. Whether you are in Devy leagues or trying to stay up to date with the NFL prospects for your dynasty leagues, this article will be nosediving into these targets.
This redshirt junior QB stands at 6’4” 215 lbs., and he is having a great season so far. Nationally Carson Strong is fifth in passing yardage, with 2,883, and is sixth in passing touchdowns, with 24. Through eight games in 2021, Carson has already surpassed this passing total of 2,858 last year and is only three touchdowns behind his 27 from last season. After his impressive sophomore season, Strong had some hype going into this season, and he has lived up to it so far. As things stand now, I believe he is firmly in the discussion for top-five QB in the 2022 class.
Romeo Doubs is a senior wide receiver for the Nevada Wolf Pack. He stands 6’2 and 200 lbs. which if validated at the NFL Combine represents a receiver that can play the slot or on the outside. Doubs will not test off the charts athletically at the NFL Combine, but he is likely to hit all of the athletically-based thresholds we like to see. Although coming out of Nevada is not ideal for a prospect, the Mountain West has brought up incredible players like Marshall Faulk, Nate Burleson, Keenan McCardell, Doug Martin, and most recently Davante Adams.
Matt Corral is making his case for the best draft-eligible QB this year. Spencer Rattler has played poorly, and Sam Howell isn’t having the same success as years past, leaving the top QB spot in 2022 pretty much wide open. Corral could hear his name called early on April 28, and his value as a Devy and Dynasty asset could soar. We have Matt Corral ranked as the Devy QB7 and the QB3 in the 2022 class, but I see that changing soon. After Corral’s big game on a national stage, it will likely be hard to acquire him via trade unless you are willing to pay up big time. For this reason, I see Corral as a “hold” because I believe his value can only rise from here.
Hello, again Fantasy Devy Gamers! Each week I will bring you the latest updates, performances, and NFL buzz surrounding college players that should prove to be integral to their eventual NFL Draft Stock. I will utilize recent statistics, performance and film, and general “front office whispers” to compile the intel I share with you. My hope is to provide you with a leg up on your opponents. You will know which devy players to target in trades and/or in what range of draft picks (both NFL and fantasy drafts) you can expect these players to be selected.
This is a player that many people expected to break out as a true freshman, but not many people believed that he would be able to do so this early on. For September’s devy breakout player of the month, we have a true freshman running back at a blue-blood Power 5 school who is already a top-10 running back in raw scrimmage yardage. This player is averaging 10.6 yards per touch, and despite getting 20% of the team’s opportunities, is still making up 26% of their team’s total yardage. They are also handling the load when it comes to scoring, making up 38% of their team’s offensive touchdowns. Overall, he has a 29% adjusted dominator rating (adjusted from 50% yardage and 50% touchdowns to 80% yardage and 20% touchdowns) and is averaging 2.9 adjusted yards per team play. These metrics are good for being 24th and seventh in the nation, despite just being a freshman.
The USC receiver also participates on the USC basketball team. Standing at 6’5” and 210 lbs. London has a skill set that allows him to succeed in both basketball and football at the division-one collegiate level. His 38” vertical leap along with his stiff, and ridged running style project him to be a solid big-slot receiver or tight end at the NFL level. His decent athleticism to go along with elite size yielded 72 catches for 1,069 yards and eight touchdowns during his USC career. With Amon-Ra St. Brown transitioning to the NFL, and Bru McCoy being released from the USC football program, London should be in line for a high target share in 2021 despite his DeVonta Smith BMI levels.
In this article, I will take you through the top devy options that are eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft. We will look at their listed measurements according to their college programs as well as their projected 40-yard dash times. We will project 40-yard dash times by taking their high school combine testing results and adjusting them based on the expected positional progression as these players progress from being 18-year-old kids to 21-year-old NFL players. We will also use film analysis to tweak these projected times on a player-to-player basis. Finally we will look at players who tested similarly to create a superimposed range of outcomes for these players. Let’s dive in with the top options from the class of 2022.
Fields is a true dual-threat Konami Code quarterback worthy of consideration at the 1.01 pick in Superflex leagues. Justin Fields remains as the QB2 in the 2021 NFL Draft class, however with the bad landing spot one may choose to go with a top pass-catcher or running back as the second and third picks in Superflex Rookie Drafts.