Dynasty: NON-Draft eligible College prospects (2 Viewers)

JFS171 said:

So as the bowls wind down, what's the overall devy big board look like for you guys heading into the 2016 year? How does an ACL tear for a guy like Chubb affect your evaluation of him compared to some of the other elite talents?

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ESPN analyst KC Joyner says UCLA won't miss Paul Perkins since freshman RB Soso Jamabo may ultimately prove to be an upgrade.

A four-star 2015 recruit, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Jamabo bested Perkins in yards per carry (6.1), yards per carry after contact (3.1) and percentage of five-plus (43.9 percent) and 10-plus yard runs (21.2 percent). "Jamabo also showcased superb open-field skills in the passing game on a 36-yard gain against Nebraska in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl," Joyner wrote. "Add Nate Starks as a backup (320 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on only 50 carries last season), and it means the Bruins' ground game should not take a step back this season."

Source: ESPN Insider

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1. Elijah Holyfield
2. Antonio Williams
3. Kyle Porter
4. Travis Homer
5. Tony Jones Jr.

1. DeKaylin Metcalf
2. N'Keal Harry
3. Kyle Davis

Faust said:

Rotoworld:

ESPN analyst KC Joyner says UCLA won't miss Paul Perkins since freshman RB Soso Jamabo may ultimately prove to be an upgrade.

A four-star 2015 recruit, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Jamabo bested Perkins in yards per carry (6.1), yards per carry after contact (3.1) and percentage of five-plus (43.9 percent) and 10-plus yard runs (21.2 percent). "Jamabo also showcased superb open-field skills in the passing game on a 36-yard gain against Nebraska in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl," Joyner wrote. "Add Nate Starks as a backup (320 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on only 50 carries last season), and it means the Bruins' ground game should not take a step back this season."

Source: ESPN Insider

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Faust said:

A Darling Dozen

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ESPN's Travis Haney passes along that Tennessee sophomore WR Preston Williams had "a head-turning spring."


The former four-star recruit basically wasn't able to prepare for last season after his admission was delayed to just prior to the opener. He's up to snuff now. "His emergence would certainly help a Tennessee offense that often failed to generate explosive plays in the passing game," Haney wrote. "Veteran QB Josh Dobbs could use a safety blanket, and the 6-4, 209-pound Williams just might be the guy."

 
Source: ESPN.com

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ESPN's Austin Ward referred to Ohio State redshirt freshman WR Torrance Gibson as "freakishly athletic."
Ohio State HC Urban Meyer has also referred to Gibson as a freak, so there you have it. Ward broached the idea of Gibson possibly seeing some work as a Wildcat quarterback. He initially joined the Buckeyes as a gunslinger before transitioning to receiver last August. During Ohio State's spring game, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound redshirt freshman caught six passes for 50 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He remains raw as a receiver for obvious reasons, but has the ability to make noise in 2016.

 
 
Source: ESPN.com
May 13 - 8:28 PM

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to "keep an eye on" Stanford sophomore WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside.
Jennings believes Arcega-Whiteside "could make big plays for the Cardinal [this coming season]." We will have to wait and see here, as the 6-foot-3, 221-pounder did not appear in a game last season. Coming out of high school, Rivals ranked him as their No. 62 wide receiving recruit for the 2015 cycle.

 
 
Source: ESPN.com 
May 14 - 8:46 PM

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Alabama HC Nick Saban singled out the spring-game work of sophomore RB Damien Harris as being exemplary.
"Damien Harris had a really nice day," Saban said, adding that Harris "looked quick and explosive and he did a really nice job." "Really nice job" and "really nice day" count as fantastic complements in the context of Nick Saban. He isn't lying here. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Harris rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries in spring action. Redshirt sophomore RB Bo Scarbrough is widely expected to exit August camp as the Tide's No. 1 back, but Harris has begun to build a case for increased touches. The former five-star recruit took 46 carries and turned them into 157 yards and a touchdown last season.

 
 
Source: Sports Illustrated 
May 14 - 8:39 PM

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Ohio State HC Urban Meyer indicated that one of his goals this season is to teach redshirt freshman WR Torrance Gibson how to harness his immense athletic ability.
"[Gibson]'s got a 35-inch vertical jump, and we're going to teach him how to use that thing. He's a very good young man. He's trying really hard," Meyer said. As to the "trying really hard" part of Meyer's comment, the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder is still learning the ropes at receiver. He moved from quarterback to wideout last summer. Redshirt junior QB J.T. Barrett sees occasional confidence issues, but also noted that "ome days he's hot and he's catching everything."

 
 
Source: Sports Illustrated 
May 14 - 7:40 PM

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ESPN college football analyst Tom Luginbill said Alabama sophomore WR Calvin Ridley is "a faster Amari Cooper."
"Calvin Ridley is the most dangerous wide receiver in the SEC West this season," he said. Cooper ran a 4.42 second 40-yard dash at last year’s NFL Combine, while Ridley reportedly boasts a 40-yard dash of 4.35 seconds. Ridley has a ways to go before matching Cooper's record book-smashing numbers or No. 4 overall slot in the Draft, though it is fair to suggest he's capable of both.

 
 
Source: SEC Country 
May 16 - 3:40 PM

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UCLA sophomore RB Soso Jamabo is the favorite to replace Paul Perkins, according to the Orange County Register.


Jamabo averaged six yards per carry and accrued 461 yards and four touchdowns last year in a part-time role behind star RB Paul Perkins. He's now the featured back in in new OC Kennedy Polamalu's downhill power running scheme. "Jamabo, who never used a fullback in his spread-based high school system, has been especially impressive, despite not being known for his work between the tackles," Ryan Kartje of the Orange County Register wrote. The Bruins will spell Jamabo with Nate Starks and Bolu Olorunfunmi.
 
Source: Orange County Register

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ESPN's Ted Miller wrote that with significant improvement, UCLA sophomore QB Josh Rosen "could challenge Clemson's Deshaun Watson as the best quarterback in the country, which would make him a default Heisman candidate."
Expect to hear plenty of these kinds of proclamations throughout the preseason as the hype dragon clears its throat for the 2016 campaign. "The biggest question for Rosen, in fact, isn't himself, or even the new, pro-style offense that has been installed to take advantage of his skills," Miller wrote. "It's the Bruins void at receiver, as they lose most of their top performers from 2015." Should Rosen be able to make up for the skill-position deficits around him, though, he could not only be contending for a Heisman over the next two years, but also readying himself for a top-5 selection in the draft. He won't be draft eligible until after the 2017 season, though, so that talk should probably be placed on the back-burner while we give ourselves over to rampant Heisman speculation.

 
Source: ESPN.com

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ESPN's Mitch Sherman wrote that Penn State sophomore RB Saquon Barkley "could vault into the [Heisman] conversation with a big September."


"At 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, he’s built to endure punishment," Sherman wrote. "And who doesn’t appreciate a physical back in the Penn State white and blue? The opportunity for statement performances arrive early at rival Pitt and in the league opener at Michigan." HC James Franklin said earlier this offseason that he "[doesn't] know if [he's] seen someone like Saquon." The bruiser rushed for 1,076 yards and seen touchdowns last season. For the time being, though, Barkley is not viewed as a legit Heisman contender by Vegas. "With the exception of Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, no player in the Big Ten is on the radar in early Heisman handicapping," according to Sherman.
 
Source: ESPN.com

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Xue said:

Does this RB remind you of Melvin Gordon? https://gfycat.com/TintedBabyishHatchetfish

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Xue said:

Does this RB remind you of Melvin Gordon? https://gfycat.com/TintedBabyishHatchetfish

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Hankmoody said:

Does that RB have a name?  Are you prevented from using it?

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LSU junior QB Brandon Harris referred to true freshman WR Drake Davis as "obviously a freak."
"[Davis is] 6-foot-4, a 4.3 (40) guy, who I think will help us a lot this year in different roles, whether than be on special teams, at wide receiver or anything," Harris said. While we might see glimpses of Davis' immense talent this autumn, he is part of a deep stable of receivers led by Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural. Playing time is far from guaranteed, particularly given that Davis might simply need more seasoning before he is ready.

 
 
Source: SEC Country 
Jun 25 - 1:04 PM

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Scout.com's Greg Biggins called Alabama five-star 2017 RB Najee Harris "one of those generational talents that you just don't see very often."
Harris has received universal praise as prospect, but Biggins' comment crystallizes the national perception among those in the know. No wonder that both he and colleague Brandon Huffman project the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder as a potential Heisman winner down the road. Biggins called him perhaps the best running back prospect to come out of West Coast in a decade and wrote that Harris "has size, power, speed, the ability to run inside or outside, shows great hands out of the backfield, is highly competitive and works very hard off the field." Adding to the intrigue, Harris is also viewed as a prospect who could potentially flip on his commitment. Regardless of where he lands, he has the potential to be an immediate impact freshman in 2017.

 
 
Source: Scout.com

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Elijah Holyfield got a lot of carries, and had a few good runs during 11-on-11 drills. The first was during a non-tackling drill, as the freshman went off right tackle, then reversed field and went all the way down the left side. The next saw him go to the right sideline, avoid tackles, then cut upfield and get free down the middle.

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EBF said:

Finished my last two dev drafts of the year this past weekend. Tenative 16-17 RB rankings:

1. Nick Chubb, Georgia

2. Saquon Barkley, Penn State

The superstar tier. No questions about either of these guys apart from Chubb's health. These are elite talents.

3. Derrius Guice, LSU

4. Leonard Fournette, LSU

Likely first rounders. Guice reminds me a lot of Doug Martin. Big back with solid speed and foot quickness/elusiveness. Fournette's highlights have never matched the hype for me, as I find him too upright and straight-line. I still think he goes first round because of his size/speed combo and name recognition.

5. Royce Freeman, Oregon

6. Myles Gaskin, Washington

7. Samaje Perine, Oklahoma

I'm pretty high on these guys, though I don't see them as first round locks. Freeman has a chance to go that high because he's a big back with adequate mobility who can do a bit of everything. Gaskin might have the best moves of any back in college football. Electric quickness with deceptive functional power, but size/speed limitations will almost certainly keep him out of the first round and could hinder his NFL success. Perine has the size and is faster than some might think, but definitely lacks start-stop explosiveness. I think he's like a Rudi Johnson type in the NFL. Maybe a bit better.

Dalvin Cook, Florida State

Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

Jalen Hurd, Tennessee

Bo Scarbrough, Alabama

Joe Mixon, Oklahoma

Elijah Hood, North Carolina

Kareem Hunt, Toledo

Corey Clement, Wisconsin

A big unranked cluster of 2nd-5th round guys in no particular order. I'm not particularly sold on any of these guys. They all have talent and some of them will definitely be high draft picks, but I think there are also some question marks with all of them.

I really haven't spent any significant amount of time looking at the HS kids this year. Tavien Feaster from Clemson is one who stands out from a measurables perspective. He didn't look quite as fast in his clips as I expected, but is definitely a name to monitor. He could end up like a turbo charged version of CJ Prosise.

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Rodeojones said:

Looking forward to WR.

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EBF said:

I haven't seen much that excites me there.

JuJu would be a strong #1. I actually have him ranked as the #1 overall devy prospect at the moment, but the dropoff after him looks pretty huge to me.

Courtland Sutton is a popular pick in dev drafts and I think he has good potential. Big frame with jump ball skills. The comparisons for me are Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin. As with those guys, the biggest question mark is whether he can actually run routes and separate. Those two have been successful without phenomenal separation skills, which bodes well for Sutton.

Mike Williams is overhyped for me. Sat out a year and somehow saw his devy stock rise, which makes no sense. I didn't like him that much in the first place.

I like what Calvin Ridley did last year at Alabama. He doesn't have off the charts measurables, so you wonder if he's just one of those college superstars with minimal pro upside. That being said, his game has some similarities with Amari Cooper, who has done well as an NFL prospect/player.

Christian Kirk had a nice freshman season, but doesn't look like a phenomenal pure WR prospect yet. I think he's a bit of a Peter Warrick. Better college player than pro. He's still young though.

Rest of the guys haven't really shown me much. After a handful of pretty good years at WR, I think we're finally going to see a year or two where the RB classes are a lot stronger than the WR classes.

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EBF said:

Finished my last two dev drafts of the year this past weekend. Tenative 16-17 RB rankings:

1. Nick Chubb, Georgia

2. Saquon Barkley, Penn State

The superstar tier. No questions about either of these guys apart from Chubb's health. These are elite talents.

3. Derrius Guice, LSU

4. Leonard Fournette, LSU

Likely first rounders. Guice reminds me a lot of Doug Martin. Big back with solid speed and foot quickness/elusiveness. Fournette's highlights have never matched the hype for me, as I find him too upright and straight-line. I still think he goes first round because of his size/speed combo and name recognition.

5. Royce Freeman, Oregon

6. Myles Gaskin, Washington

7. Samaje Perine, Oklahoma

I'm pretty high on these guys, though I don't see them as first round locks. Freeman has a chance to go that high because he's a big back with adequate mobility who can do a bit of everything. Gaskin might have the best moves of any back in college football. Electric quickness with deceptive functional power, but size/speed limitations will almost certainly keep him out of the first round and could hinder his NFL success. Perine has the size and is faster than some might think, but definitely lacks start-stop explosiveness. I think he's like a Rudi Johnson type in the NFL. Maybe a bit better.

Dalvin Cook, Florida State

Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

Jalen Hurd, Tennessee

Bo Scarbrough, Alabama

Joe Mixon, Oklahoma

Elijah Hood, North Carolina

Kareem Hunt, Toledo

Corey Clement, Wisconsin

A big unranked cluster of 2nd-5th round guys in no particular order. I'm not particularly sold on any of these guys. They all have talent and some of them will definitely be high draft picks, but I think there are also some question marks with all of them.

I really haven't spent any significant amount of time looking at the HS kids this year. Tavien Feaster from Clemson is one who stands out from a measurables perspective. He didn't look quite as fast in his clips as I expected, but is definitely a name to monitor. He could end up like a turbo charged version of CJ Prosise.

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EBF said:

Watching some highlights from this weekend and looking at some of the stats, I'm thinking this might be the deepest and best crop of college running backs that I can remember. They're not all going to pan out, but I can count almost 15 guys from just the sophomore and junior classes who might have starting NFL potential, and I'm likely missing some names:

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EBF said:

Watching some highlights from this weekend and looking at some of the stats, I'm thinking this might be the deepest and best crop of college running backs that I can remember. They're not all going to pan out, but I can count almost 15 guys from just the sophomore and junior classes who might have starting NFL potential, and I'm likely missing some names:

Nick Chubb, Georgia

Saquon Barkley, Penn State

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Darrius Guice, LSU

Leonard Fournette, LSU

Samaje Perine, Oklahoma

Joe Mixon, Oklahoma

Royce Freeman, Oregon

Myles Gaskin, Washington

Dalvin Cook, Florida State

Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

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Mark Walton, Miami

Rawleigh Williams, Arkansas

Elijah Hood, North Carolina

Stock up on those rookie picks. Lots of talented RBs arriving in the NFL soon.

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EBF said:

Barkley is great. Reminds me a little bit of Lynch with his combination of size, power, speed, and lateral bounce.

Big backs with explosive cutting ability are a good bet in the NFL. I think he is very good, and with Chubb not yet showing his best form, Barkley has a case for being the top devy RB at the moment.

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