What if I were to tell you that the next D.K. Metcalf is currently in college, and not just is he coming into the NFL soon, but he is essentially free in the deepest of devy leagues. Is that something you might be interested in?
The Metcalf Story
In 2015, Metcalf was a four-star wide receiver from Oxford, Mississippi who stood 6’3.75” and 205 lbs. In his high school combine, Metcalf ran a 4.68 second 40-yard dash time, to go along with a 4.3-second short shuttle and a 6.8-second three-cone. Metcalf had two catches for 13 yards as a true freshman, 39 catches for 646 yards, and seven TDs as a sophomore, and he capped his collegiate career off with 26 catches for 569 yards and five TDs in his final collegiate season before entering the NFL Draft. He was outproduced each season by teammate A.J. Brown by a considerable margin, but his NFL Combine accolades still earned him second-round draft capital despite his lack of production. To be clear, Metcalf is the outlier in the cohort of unproductive but athletic wide receivers such as Kevin White and Dorial Green-Beckham.
The Next D.K.?
There is a player from the 2020 class who compares favorably to Metcalf and is on pace to outproduce Metcalf’s college statistics considerably. This prospect is on the same trajectory as Metcalf was in his early college days and could even surpass Metcalf when it comes to his upside. This prospect ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at his high school combine, at the same weight that Metcalf ran a 4.68. Metcalf gained over 20 lbs. in college and his agility was impacted. His 4.3-second high school short shuttle decreased to 4.5-seconds at the NFL Combine. His three-cone drill also dropped from 6.8-seconds to 7.38-seconds at the NFL Combine.
We are not talking about D.K. Metcalf being an elite prospect until he participated in the 2019 NFL Combine so let’s temper expectations because this prospect still needs to achieve a college breakout, get day-two draft capital, and break out in his second NFL season to achieve the value that Metcalf has built, but when we are talking about a free asset in campus to canton leagues our ears perk up.
The Prospect
The prospect that we are referring to is a sophomore for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He is listed at 6’4” and 220 lbs. and he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash time in high school. We can easily project his NFL Combine results in the sub-4.4-second range based on the average development of a player as a high school prospect to an NFL rookie.
Loic Fouonji is a 6’4” and 220 lbs. sophomore wide receiver for Texas Tech. In his freshman season, he was used sparingly in nine games as a rotation wideout. He hauled in 5 receptions for 69 yards and one impressive TD grab. His analytical profile is lacking based on his lack of usage. However, his film shows a dynamic athlete with a sixth gear when it comes to long speed, though his wide gate makes him deceptively fast. Like Metcalf, he does not have elite change-of-direction agility, but he possesses the requisite size, speed, length, ability to adjust to off-target passes that NFL scouts will love.
Temper Expectations This Year
I don’t expect Fouonji to break out early in his sophomore season with Erik Ezukanma and Kaylon Geiger in line for high usage in the passing game, as it is reflected as they are on the pre-season Biletkinoff Award Watchlist, but Fouonji has a higher ceiling than any other receiver down in Lubbock.
Just like Tagovailoa and Uiagalelei, Fouonji is a difficult name to pronounce and spell, but it is a name worth remembering. Texas Tech has not had a litany of wide receiver prospects to hit in the NFL outside Michael Crabtree, however, given his current cost of nothing but a roster spot, he’s a player I’m targeting in campus to canton and deep (30+ rounds of devy) devy leagues before his value potentially skyrockets. Fouonji has already been recognized as one of the most improved workout warriors.
The Best is Yet To Come
Following in the footsteps of D.K. Metcalf, Loic Fouonji offers unlimited upside while currently having an incredibly depressed acquisition cost. He is a player that I am drafting on the college side of campus to canton leagues and using a last-round flier in the deep devy leagues. I would not advise trading away any devy assets that have first-round to third-round expected draft capital to add Fouonji to my roster, but he is a player I will be closely monitoring throughout this season.
Thank you for reading my article! If you enjoyed it, keep an eye out for my future articles. You can also follow me on Twitter @DynastyDiagnos1 and reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas you’d like me to explore for a new article.
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