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Dynasty Draft Stuff---2025 Freaks List by Bruce Feldman 8/5/24 (1 Viewer)

WOW ... don't know the source, but very negative on Gibbs non-perfect blocked runs.
I was ready to believe that Gibbs was Kamara 2.0. He could also be Kenyan Drake. Or a better JD McKissick.

The size thing weighs on me, because if you aren't a special runner at that size, you will most likely wind up a 3rd down back who doesn't get many carries. Which is helpful for NFL teams, but caps your fantasy value.
 
A reminder that speed matters but is not everything...

7 RBs ran <=4.4 at the 2022 NFL combine:

2 drafted in round 2.

2 drafted in round 4.

1 drafted in round 5.

1 drafted in round 7.

1 undrafted.

Evaluate the profile as a whole and never get carried away with one input.
 
Seven RBs were graded solidly within Day 2 in Dane Brugler's Beast:

Bijan, Gibbs, Charbo, Achane, Spears, Roschon, Tank

Four more: Z Evans, Izzy, Kendre, Gray got R3/4 grades

The Beast released today. Haven't gotten into it yet.
 

𝗔𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 % 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀
(2023 CFB Season | Power 5 Conferences only)

Comp % adjusted for drops + throwaways

Best overall ADJ% of '24 Draft QBs
Bo Nix: 85.4%
JJ McCarthy: 80.0%
Jayden Daniels: 79.6%
 
2022-23 YPRR among notable incoming rookie WRs

Marvin Harrison Jr 3.31
Malik Nabers 3.05

*Johnny Wilson 2.90
Troy Franklin 2.83
Rome Odunze 2.72
Ladd McConkey 2.71
*Javon Baker 2.59
Xavier Worthy 2.03

Brian Thomas 1.99
Keon Coleman 1.91
Adonai Mitchell 1.64
 
I’m a big fan of players who produce in the SEC – & for that reason I’m a fan of Ray Davis & Jaylen Wright.Davis led Vanderbilt & Kentucky in rushing in back-to-back seasons (after also leading Temple in rushing as a true freshman).& broke Kentucky’s single-season TD record (20).Wright posted 146/875/10 (6.0 YPC) as a sophomore at TEN & finished 2nd in YPC (7.4) amongst ALL NCAA RB’s in 2023 (137/1013/4).Both have demonstrated tackle-breaking ability (Davis broke 51 tackles on 199 rushing attempts in 2023; Wright finished 7th out of 223 RB’s w/ 4.35 YAC/attempt).Both have posted seasons with a 90.0+ PFF Rushing Grade.Both are capable receivers (1.25+ YPRR in 2023).& both are listed at 210+ pounds.I’m very excited to see where they land on Draft Day.

 
Drake Maye / UNC team grade ranks

2022 Pass Blocking - 47th (61.6)
2023 Receiving - 32nd (72.2)

Last among top 6 QB prospects for each of those seasons. Still led the P5 in Big Time Throws and BTT Rate in 2022 and was tied for 2nd among 2024 prospects in BTT Rate in 2023.
 
2023 WRs: % of catchable targets resulting in a 1D or TD [among my top-20]

Adonai Mitchell (76%)
Roman Wilson (75%)
Rome Odunze (74%)
Malik Nabers (70%)
Jermaine Burton (66%)
 
Round 1-2 WRs since the 2018 Draft at a <2.0 YPRR in college (via PFF)

DK Metcalf
Dante Pettis
Van Jefferson
Chase Claypool
Terrace Marshall
Tyquan Thornton
Jonathan Mingo

2024:
Keon Coleman
Brian Thomas Jr
Adonai Mitchell
Xavier Legette
Ricky Pearsall
Ja’Lynn Polk
Ainias Smith
 
Career Contested Target Rate [Screens Removed]
+ top 9 proj. WRs in class

Keon Coleman (29.5%)
Marvin Harrison Jr. (26.8%)
Malik Nabers (22.6%)
Brian Thomas (21.6%)
Adonai Mitchell (20.0%)
Rome Odunze (19.1%)
Troy Franklin (18.5%)
Xavier Worthy (17.0%)
Ladd McConkey (16.1%)
 
Most pressured DBs resulting in a sack or INT, round 1-2 QBs since the 2016 draft

Will Levis: 26.7%
Christian Hackenberg: 25.9%
Justin Fields: 25.6%
DeShone Kizer: 24.9%
Zach Wilson: 23.5%

2024 QBs
Jayden Daniels: 25.0%
Drake Maye: 20.5%
Caleb Williams: 20.3%
JJ McCarthy: 16.1%
 

Bruce Feldman freaks list published. This is one of my favorite articles every year.

1. Nyck Harbor, South Carolina, wide receiver

In 20 years of the Freaks List, Harbor is our first back-to-back No. 1 player. The 6-5, 242-pound sophomore, who turned 19 in July, cemented his status on this list when he ran a 10.1 100 and 20.20 in the 200 for the Gamecocks’ track team, earning second-team All-America honors. Despite being as big as some defensive linemen, Harbor is ridiculously fast. As one track coach reminded me, Harbor is competing in NCAA track meets against athletes who are 60 and 70 pounds lighter than him. Harbor looks like a video game creation, which was backed up by EA Sports giving him the rare 99 speed and 99 acceleration rating.

He’s still quite raw, but he did start five games in 2023, catching 12 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Harbor didn’t go through spring practice with the Gamecocks. He was with the track team full time until June, but he figures to become a bigger factor for football in 2024.

“He’s worked hard to become a better wide receiver,” coach Shane Beamer said.

2. Travis Hunter, Colorado, wide receiver/cornerback

Coaches have described him as a unicorn for the seemingly effortless way he can handle insane workloads (he plays both ways and on special teams) and still make big plays for the Buffs. The 6-1, 185-pound junior had 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns on offense and a team-lead tying three interceptions and five pass breakups to go along with 30 tackles on defense. (Hunter, a psychology major, also earned a 4.0 GPA for the fall semester.) Hunter has elite ball skills and a great feel for the game, knowing where the holes are on a defense. He’s so high up on this list because of his unique motor.


Hunter won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player in 2023. He played a total of 1,102 snaps (475 on offense, 631 on defense, 32 on special teams) – an average of 115 per game. Against Stanford, he played 149 snaps. He played 140 against TCU, 125 against Nebraska, 118 against Oregon State and 116 against Arizona. It’s not just that he has remarkable stamina; it’s the level of burst he has deep in his tank.

Reel Analytics gauged Hunter’s max speed on a touchdown-saving chase-down against TCU at 21.2 mph. On Hunter’s 81st snap of that game in near 100-degree heat in Texas, he displayed a closing speed of 6.9 yards per second on his diving red-zone interception against TCU midway through the third quarter. That 6.9 YPS was the second-fastest time on record for nearly 8,400 defensive backs in the Reel Analytics database. As Deion Sanders is quick to tell you, Hunter is a rare talent.

3. Kenneth Grant, Michigan, defensive tackle

The Wolverines have produced more freak defensive linemen in the last half-dozen years than anyone, from Rashan Gary (first-rounder), Kwity Paye (first-rounder), Aidan Hutchinson (first-rounder) and Mazi Smith (first-rounder) to Kris Jenkins (second-rounder). The 6-3, 350-pound Grant is the biggest of all of them. As a sophomore, he helped anchor the nation’s No. 1 defense for the national champion Wolverines, making 29 tackles, 5.0 for loss, with 3.5 sacks; six quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery. When Grant arrived in Ann Arbor as a three-star recruit from Indiana, Jim Harbaugh raved about the then-360-pounder running a sub-5.0 40. Anyone doubting Grant’s speed (a max of 18.75 mph on the GPS) only needed to see him run down Penn State running back Kaytron Allen in the open field last year. His ability to fly up Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test, a series of seven 26-inch-high stairs that players attempt to jump up as fast as possible, is truly freakish. This offseason, Grant pressed a 115-pound dumbbell 34 times on his right and 27 times on his left. He vertical-jumped 29 inches and did a Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell.

“Watching KG move is like a work of art,” said Justin Truss, Michigan’s director of strength and conditioning. “He plays and trains violent and explosive.”

Grant isn’t the only freak this year on the Wolverines’ defensive line. Junior Mason Graham, a disruptive force at 6-3 and 315 pounds who was first-team all-conference in 2023, clocked a 4.69 in the 20-yard shuttle and could do the Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell.
 

4. Jaeden Roberts, Alabama, offensive lineman

The 6-5, 322-pound junior is one of the most impressive-looking lineman in football. He has 18 percent body fat and 272 pounds of lean muscle on his frame. There are many Bunyan-like tales of his feats of strength growing up. Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Roberts, the Tide’s starting right guard, has continued to power up. He squatted 825 pounds, benched 525 and power cleaned 405 this summer.

5. Darrell Jackson, Florida State, defensive tackle

The 6-5, 328-pound junior began his career at Maryland before spending the 2022 season at Miami, where he started 12 games and recorded 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. And now, after sitting out the 2023 season, he’s eligible at Florida State and is expected to make a big impact. This is just one enormous and freaky dude. His arm length is 36 inches, and he has 11-inch hands. He’s run 20.6 MPH in pads — not just in shorts and a t-shirt. He squats over 600 pounds and benches over 400 pounds. His Nordbord score is over 2.0, which is good for tight ends and linebackers. The FSU defensive line lost both Jared Verse and Braden Fiske to the NFL but is still very scary with Jackson, Joshua Farmer and others leading the way.

6. Davin Vann, NC State, defensive end

Wolfpack strength coach Dantonio Burnette has an impressive track record of producing Freaks, and Vann is the latest in the pipeline. Last year, the former state champion wrestler and track star was ranked No. 40 on our list. Now, the 6-2 Vann has moved up after dropping a full tenth of a second off his 40-yard-dash time to a blistering 4.69 seconds despite weighing 276 pounds. Vann bench-pressed 440 pounds (up from 405 last year), did 31 reps of 225, cleaned 365 and squatted 580 to go with a 33-inch vertical. He has been a disruptive force for the Wolfpack, notching six sacks, seven TFLs and 42 tackles last season.

7. JJ (Jeremiah) Smith, Ohio State, wide receiver

The most touted wideout to come into college football in a long time already has wowed a lot of his veteran coaches in Columbus, who have seen their share of elite receiver talent. The five-star recruit from South Florida already looks like an NFL wide receiver, and a big one at that. He is 6-3 ½ and 218 pounds. This offseason, Smith bench pressed 355 pounds and squatted 530. He broad-jumped 10-10 and vertical-jumped 36 inches. His max speed is jaw-dropping at 23.39 mph. Everything about him is elite, we’re told, especially his work ethic. In addition, OSU coaches say he “has great hands, a great catch radius and does freaky things on a daily basis.”

8. Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech, defensive lineman

One of the strongest men in the sport, Copeland should be a terrific addition to the Hokies’ defense. He had 38 tackles, nine TFLs and 4.5 sacks last year for Iowa Western CC, the national junior college champion. But it has been his work in the weight room that’s really generated buzz; the 6-3, 282-pounder went viral after video of his squatting 605 pounds for 10 reps was posted on social media. Copeland, who began his college career at Army, has squatted 785 pounds and benched 485 since arriving in Blacksburg. He was clocked at 20.0 mph this offseason.
 

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