Welcome to “I Got 5 On It”, each week I’ll be picking five news-worthy subjects based around college football to cover. Ranging from views on Devy prospects, general college football talk, interesting stats, and a little bit of hip-hop music mixed in now and then.
1. My Avoid List
Draft season is upon us and here are the guys you couldn’t pay me to draft this year.
QB:
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati: I don’t get the hype one bit around Ridder. He lacks accuracy and his abilities under pressure are bad. You don’t just magically become an accurate passer (Josh Allen is the exception, not the rule). Either you are accurate or you’re not. Some improvement is possible but he isn’t magically going to be the next Drew Brees. His legs give him some added value for fantasy but his lack of accuracy won’t allow him to get on the field in the first place to use those legs.
Honorable mention: Bryce Young, Alabama, I love the talent price is just too high for me.
RB:
KeyVone Lee, Penn State: Lee is a big power back. That’s about all the positives I can list about him. Lee is on the older side for players in his class. He’s slow and not athletic. Sure he had some production as a tFR but it took injuries/retirement to three players in front of him to get on the field. With a healthy Cain, I don’t think Lee gets much tread in 2021.
Honorable mention: Camar Wheaton, Alabama, lots of questions about his game. I talked about his issues here a few weeks back.
WR:
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State: To draft Egbuka this offseason it’s going to cost you dearly. He’ll most likely be WR1 in 90-95% of the draft this offseason for his class. Much like Julian Fleming from last summer. Fleming caught a handful of balls and is now barely inside of everybody’s top 10 WRs in the 2023 class. Drafting Egbuka at WR1 cost is already a sunk cost. After he only catches 10 balls this fall, he’s going to slide down everybody’s ranks and you’ve already lost a great deal of value on a high pick. Let somebody else draft Egbuka and you can trade for him next offseason at a reduced price. If you ask a Fleming owner that took him last offseason at an inflated price they will probably tell you they already regret the decision.
Honorable mention: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State, inflated price due to his last name with very little on-field opportunity for his first two years on campus. Great technician, average athlete.
TE:
Darnell Washington, Georgia: When Washington signed with UGA he picked the wrong position, he would have fit perfectly along the defensive line. Washington is one of the most overrated players in the nation due to his size. Washington just isn’t a very good TE. From Devy Watches very own Brad McDaniel “But I can’t, because even though he’s 6’7” tall and weighs 260 pounds, he was pound-for-pound the softest player in college football in 2020. He’s rarely the aggressor on any given play, and he doesn’t particularly like to finish a rep, so there’s no way he could play with his hand in the dirt every play. No matter which game I threw on, I found him uninterested in run blocking even when that was his only assignment on the play. I find that inexcusable for someone of his size, for someone who should be a road grader for RBs on the edge.”
Honorable Mention: Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin, he’s older and doesn’t really impress me much on my viewings of the Badgers.
2. My Buy List
Here are the prospects that I’m snatching up at their current price.
QB:
Carson Strong, Nevada: Strong is the current QB10 for DevyWatch ADP. I’d prefer Strong over at least four of the QBs being drafted before him. Strong doesn’t give you much with his legs but he throws a great deep ball and has good arm talent.
Deeper cut: Matt Corral, Ole Miss.
RB:
Kevin Harris, South Carolina: Harris currently getting drafted in mocks as the RB10. Harris is currently my 6th rated back in all of Devy. I really expect his current price to inflate this offseason as more people get eyes on Harris. A gifted back with excellent size and speed combination.
Deeper Cut: Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State…Keaontay Ingram, USC.
WR:
Treylon Burks, Arkansas: Burks is currently the 14th overall prospect off the board in Devy mocks. He’s being pushed down too far due to the inflated prices of QB in Superflex. I fully expected his ADP to be within the top 8-10 overall slots with all the hype around his name.
Deeper Cut: Romeo Doubs, Nevada…Jalen Tolbert South Alabama…Jacorey Brooks, Alabama
TE:
Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State: Ruckert continues to get no love due to his lack of production. He’s currently going 79th overall and the TE5 in Devy mocks. He’s my top TE in the class of 2022, and I only have Arik Gilbert and Michael Mayer ranked higher at the TE position. He lacks production, but he doesn’t lack talent. Don’t let OSU’s lack of TE usage fool you, he’s good.
Deeper Cut: Josh Whyle, Cincinnati…Theo Johnson, Penn State
3. More C2C Cheap Adds
Last week, I talked a lot about C2C leagues, my philosophy, and some players to targets. I’ve identified a few more guys you can grab for cheap that will help you compete to win the college title.
QB:
Myles Brennan, LSU: I haven’t watched a lot of 2020 Brennan but in my limited viewings, I was impressed. He’s got a lot of talent around him to toss the ball to and can throw up some impressive fantasy numbers. He’s got a high CFF upside and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him climb his way up NFL Draft boards with a nice year.
Anotha one: Malik Willis, Liberty.
RB:
Zander Horvath, Purdue: Horvath collected 30 receptions in just six games in 2020. He’s a very cheap add that can easily average over 20PPG in 2021 if he keeps up his receiving capabilities. Horvath even has some NFL upside. His size, power, and pass-catching abilities will give him a chance to compete on Sundays.
Anotha one: Leddie Brown, WVU.
WR:
Skyy Moore, Western Michigan: WMU has the best QB in the MAC in Kaleb Eleby and should have some major throwing days. With the departure of D’Wayne Eskridge, somebody has a ton of production to inherit. Both Skyy More and Jaylen Hall have big-play potential and can make a decent impact for CFF.
Anotha one: Khalil Shakir, Boise State…Jyaire Shorter, UNT.
4. Devy Watch Guide
This Monday we’re dropping our annual Devy Watch guide. I was responsible for the entire Big Ten and MAC conferences this year. Here are some guys that impressed that I didn’t expect to like as much coming into the offseason.
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan: His true freshman catches are butt ugly (or should I say Michigan ugly). Corum is a great catcher of the ball, has elite speed, and quickness. Still needs a lot of development as a back but he’s got some great tools.
Xavier Betts, WR, Nebraska: Didn’t see a lot of action in 2020 but with the departure of Wan’Dale Robinson, Betts has the chance to be the team’s top receiving option as a sophomore.
Zander Horvath, RB, Purdue: Talked about him in the prior section but he’s big, powerful, and a great catcher of the ball but on the old side.
Lew Nichols, RB, C. Michigan: Another big and physical back. Nichols earned a big role over incumbent back Kobe Lewis in 2020. Nichols isn’t the most fleet of foot but he still cracked off a number of long runs last season.
Kaleb Eleby, QB, W. Michigan: Statistically, his 2020 was amazing. His ANY/A was only second to Mac Jones. Eleby has a big arm and throws a pretty ball. Not the best competition playing against MAC defenses. Eleby is intriguing, worthy of a really late (I mean really late) stash.
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5. Freshman Spotlight
Moving forward until next fall, when we have some game action again, I’ll be highlighting an incoming freshman each week in the 5 spot. This week I’m talking Razorback signee, Ketron Jackson.
Jackson signed with Arkansas over offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and many more. Jackson didn’t put up crazy stats over his final two seasons at Royse City High School in Texas, but they were steady. He combined for 103/1730/17 (16.8 YPR) over that two-year span. As a freshman in high school, Jackson finished third in the state in the long jump (23-3 3/4). He’s also competed in the 200-meter and in 4×100 relays as a high schooler. Jackson is listed at 6’2” and 186lbs but appears bigger on film. He’s got a thick lower body. The future Hog was a great vertical threat in high school. He displays good straight-line speed, I don’t see a lot in terms of lateral movement on film. Jackson also has long arms and a gifted leaper giving him a big catch radius.
Jackson is a big, physical, and fast receiver. I like his upside to produce in Arkansas’ open offensive scheme. He possesses a lot of upside late in a C2C draft with top-notch college fantasy production as a potential outcome in his career.
