The college football season is nearing its end and with only a few weeks left, it’s time to take another look at this upcoming rookie class! This season has been wild, not only in terms of how these teams have stacked up, but the movement in players’ dynasty outlook seemingly changes by the week. In this edition of the Rookie Watch, you will see how that has played out with some major movers and some fresh faces to the rankings!
2022 Rookie Mock(PPR):
Positive Trend:
- Kenneth Walker has been a big mover all season long and continues his upward trend. Even in a loss, he still manages to rack up over 100 yards rushing. But the crowning achievement over the past few weeks was the monstrous 197 yards and 5 TD performance vs Michigan. Walker is firmly in the Heisman convo and should be a high dynasty pick. With the depth at the WR position and lack thereof at RB, I could see him rising even further.
- Jameson Williams has entered the chat…Williams has been on a tear this season and has put up three straight 100-yard performances capped off with 3 TDs vs NMSU. Williams may be the fastest WR on this board and is starting to show more of an all-around game. We have seen how much the NFL loves Bama WRs, especially the speedy ones, so would it shock anyone to see him as a 1st round pick this spring? I expect him to be drafted high either way which will see his value in rookie drafts skyrocket!
- Wandale Robinson is another new name to add to the list. Robinson has been a Devy Watch darling ever since his days at Nebraska and he finally is putting up the numbers to back up the love. Robinson has gadget-like skills but is showing his ability to run a bigger route tree. I still want to see more from him but if he lands on the right team, his value could shoot even further than what we are seeing here.
Negative Trend:
- Apparently, the Sooners don’t share my love for Eric Gray. Gray showed a lot of traits and potential at Tennessee but really hasn’t gotten the run I expected at OU. Maybe that will change if he stays another year? We will have to wait and see but for now, I took him down from my rankings until we see more.
- Kevin Harris is an RB I am high on, but he has been too up and down for me to have confidence in. He has a 160-yard performance against Florida then follows it up with only 36 against Missouri. It is hard to get a read on him, but I will hold out faith that he bounces back at some point!
Names To Keep An Eye On:
- Phil Jurkovec is a QB that I really like a lot. Jurkovec has great mechanics, accuracy, a live arm, and enough athleticism to make things interesting. With a lackluster QB class, he is a name that could shoot up draft boards if he ends the season on a hot streak.
- Rachaad White is an RB I was entirely too low on coming into the season but it is becoming hard to ignore what he has done the past few weeks. White has an excellent running style, is very patient, has great size, and has enough speed to break off big runs. This RB class isn’t great outside of the top three, there is no reason to think White can’t slide into the top 5 and be a day 2 pick.
