The NFL is made up of the most dynamic group of athletes in the world, whether it be blazing speed, unparalleled strength, or insane bounce. Heading into the 2021 season we want to highlight the most athletic NFL prospects, as well as include their value on devy rosters. A series that we rolled out last offseason gave us much more actionable insights when we review the results.
This year we will be counting down the most athletic players from the least likely to make an impact in the NFL to the most likely. In doing this we are going to combine the players’ athletic traits, production profiles, and competition levels to highlight undervalued devy assets as well as players to keep an eye on for late breakouts. In this article, we will start with the uber-athletic athletes that do not have the production that indicates NFL Draft capital. Let’s dive into the devy dandies!
Drake London, WR, USC
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.
Cam’Ron Harris, RB, Miami
The senior back down at ‘The U’ has rushed for 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career. He was able to do such by utilizing his elite burst, short-area quickness, and breakaway long-speed. His personal-record 3-cone drill time of 6.88-seconds would have been the best among 2020 running backs, one of the most impressive running back classes we have seen in recent history. He also showed off his long speed by hitting 23 MPH in gameplay. The 5’10” and 214 lbs. has all of the prototypical traits of an NFL running back and could return massive value gains on your dynasty roster at his current cost.
Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
The true sophomore running back has an extra gear that most athletes do not possess. The 5’9” and 185 lbs. speedster has Olympic-level speed. He showed this off by running the sixth-best 200-meter sprint at 20.31-seconds. He converts this track speed to game speed as evident in his long, breakaway runs. Achane has untapped potential as a running back with his projected 4.35-second 40-yard dash time. In his limited usage in his freshman season, behind potential first-round draft selections Isaiah Spiller and Anais Smith, Achane still managed to rush for 8.4 yards per rush and converting over 10% of his touches to touchdown scores against SEC competition.
Master Teague II, RB, Ohio State
Seemingly everyone in the devy community is ready to crown TreVeyon Henderson as the next great back to come from Columbus. However, he still has to surpass Teague, the former four-star running back that has proven to be productive in his given touches for the Buckeyes. Teague has rushed for 1,409 yards and 13 touchdowns in his Ohio State career and is returning for his senior season to improve his draft stock. Teague is a player whose size-adjusted athleticism will come into the picture both on the field and in his NFL Combine performance. Teague combines his past production on the gridiron with very impressive 4.35-second 40-yard dash speed, and over a 40” vertical leap. At 5’11” and 225 lbs. Teague offers a speed score of 125 which is in the 99th percentile among current NFL running backs.
Chris Tyree, RB, Notre Dame
Behind standout running back Kyren Williams, the former four-star and first ranked all-purpose back in the class of 2020 excelled in limited usage. The undersized running back Chris Tyree stands at 5’9” and 188 lbs. which is well below the 200 lbs. threshold we like to see for NFL-caliber running backs. Tyree is the fastest player in college football, combining his 22 MPH game speed with his 4.31-second verified 40-yard dash. He is not just a sprinter, as he can jump over 40” in the vertical leap. Expect big things from the nearly 500-yard rusher as a true freshman who averaged over 7 yards per attempt, and to be truly unlocked in the Notre Dame offense after Williams moves on to the NFL.
In the next segment of this article, we will take a look at some devy options whose proven athleticism and production have them already drafted in most devy leagues. These are players who we can project as potential day-one or day-two draft prospects with nearly unlimited upside. As we work through this article we will learn more about the dynamics between athleticism and production and what leads to NFL Draft capital as well as future success in the NFL.
Read Part 1 Here, Read Part 2 Here, Read Part 3 Here, Read Part 4 Here
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