There is a growing movement in the Dynasty community toward “devy” players. The term “devy” refers to developmental players carried on the dynasty league rosters. These devy players are usually college players but can even be high school athletes. Each week of the offseason and season, we looked at a different set of devy rankings.
As we survey devy prospects, we examine traits, abilities, and skill sets that will translate to the NFL. This week, our final edition of the season, we will look at the top 10 Freshmen devy prospects. We value the players who will contribute at the professional level higher than the younger players.
10. J.T. Daniels – QB (USC) – After playing high school football at national powerhouse Mater Dei, Daniels was the second USC player to graduate high school a full year early. The other was John David Booty in 2003. Daniels was a big-time recruit for the Trojans. He was named the 2017 Gatorade National Player of the Year, Max Preps National Player of the Year, National High School Coaches Association Player of the Year, and USA Today All-USA first team. It was no surprise to see him gain the starting role quickly. Daniels is young, turning 19 years of age this coming February. He is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds with a great football mind. So far in his young career, the results have been what should be expected, playing better against bad teams and struggling against the better teams on the schedule. He had a strong game in the 39-36 thrilling victory over Washington State. In that contest, Daniels completed 17 of his 26 passes (65% completion average) for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. He missed the loss to Arizona State as Daniels was not cleared from the concussion protocol in time. The Trojans missed their star. So far, Daniels has his team in line for a bowl game and the future is bright.
9. K.J. Hamler – WR (Penn State) – The redshirt Freshman has played very well. The Nittany Lions restocked the shelves after losing Saquon Barkley and Daesean Hamilton to the NFL. Hamler leads the Big 10 in return yards and is a very good receiver. After redshirting in 2017, many had forgotten how good of a prospect Hamler was coming to Penn State. He attended IMG Academy in 2016 after lettering for two years at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Sadly, he missed the 2016 season at IMG due to injury when his teammates won the national championship. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s was the same school that Penn State great Allen Robinson attended. Hamler was the MVP of the 2016 Rivals Camp Series. He is smaller (5-foot-9, 178 pounds) but makes big plays. The game against Ohio State was his best game as a collegian. In that contest, Hamler hauled in 4 passes for 138 yards and a 93-yard touchdown. For the season, he has 27 catches for 495 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air and he has scored once on the ground. Hamler is likely undersized for an NFL WR1, but has the speed and open-field ability to put up fantasy points.
8. Jermar Jefferson – RB (Oregon State) – The success of the youngster surprised many since he was only a three-star recruit. But, Jefferson was prolific as a Senior in high school with 1,861 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns, including a 9.1 yards-per-carry average. Playing on a bad collegiate team has not slowed Jefferson down. The Beavers had just one win, over Southern Utah, before Saturday’s upset over Colorado. He still has 1,034 rushing yards on 162 carries (6.4 average) and 12 touchdowns. Against Colorado on Saturday, Jefferson led the way with 135 rushing and 49 receiving yards, with 108 rushing yards coming in the first half. He is one of the better Freshman few have seen play.
7. Ricky Slade – RB (Penn State) – A little smaller than desired size (5-foot-9, 198 pounds), we expect Slade to fill out his frame in the weight room this next offseason. Playing behind Junior Miles Sanders has not opened many touches for the youngster, but he has made the most of his opportunities. Slade has excelled in garbage time. Against Illinois earlier this season, he carried the ball 10 times for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Slade was another big recruit for Penn State. He was named All-USA Offense All-America second team by USA Today and the 2017 Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year. He will get more and more opportunities in the coming years and we expect Slade to make the most of them.
6. Trevor Lawrence – QB (Clemson) – With NFL size (6-foot6, 215 pounds), Lawrence was considered the most NFL-ready quarterback prospect the past few years. His presence forced a quality quarterback (Kelly Bryant) to transfer. Lawrence was named the player of the year by most recruiting organizations. He enrolled at Clemson in January and played well in the Spring Game. As a Freshman, Lawrence has the Tigers in play for the national title once again. He has completed a high percentage (65%) of his passes and will continue to improve, which is a scary thought for the rest of college football. Lawrence has 1,490 passing yards and 16 touchdowns as his team now sits with an 8-0 record after the blowout win over Florida State on Saturday. The 59-10 loss was tied for the worst ever by the Seminoles.
5. Rondale Moore – WR (Purdue) – Most wonder how Moore landed at Purdue. He was a prominent recruit for the Boilermakers. Moore was the Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year and played in the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. The 180-pound Moore is a YouTube sensation with a video showing him squat 600 pounds. He may be short, but Moore is strong. In the upset victory over Ohio State earlier this season, Moore exploded with a 12-catch, 170-yards game which included 2 touchdowns. Keith Britton, a local radio station producer tweeted, “On ESPN broadcast, they noted #Purdue star freshman WR Rondale Moore didn’t go out and celebrate win over #OhioState. Instead, he went home and waited for WR coach to bring film to study what he could have done better. They talked until around 3 A.M. Talk about a special player.” The big game was no fluke. On the season, he has 68 catches for 802 yards and 7 touchdowns through his first four collegiate contests.
4. Zamir White - RB (Georgia) – White was regarded as the top running back in the 2018 recruiting class. He was playing at a high level through the summer before tearing his left ACL in August. White tore his right ACL last November and was just getting up to full speed before injuring the other knee. With great size (6-feet, 215 pounds), White has run the 40-yard dash under 4.4 and is a great runner. As the Bulldogs look to replace Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, White was expecting a large role … but it must wait until 2019.
3. Jaylen Waddle - WR (Alabama) – A top recruit for the Crimson Tide, Waddle has flashed play-making ability while rotating with other talented receivers. Having Tua Tagovailoa under center for Alabama has led several top receiver recruits to choose the school over other quality options. Waddle has average size (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) but is magic in the open field. Against Louisiana earlier in the season, Waddle scored three times (two through the air and once on a punt return), all in spectacular fashion. With Alabama rarely playing its starters in the second half of games, we encourage readers to not look at Waddle’s stats (21 catches for 457 yards and 3 touchdowns). Rather, it is his increasing role on a team full of great players that should get devy players excited.
2. Amon-Ra St. Brown - WR (USC) – The next St. Brown brother to enter college football, and probably the best of the bunch. He made 2017 USA Today All-USA first team, PrepStar Dream Team, and Max Preps All-American first team as a teammate of J.T. Daniels at Mater Dei. The pair of Freshmen has the Trojans trending in the right direction. St. Brown’s best game was the 9-catch, 167-yard outing against Texas. After the loss to Arizona State, he now has 33 catches for 466 yards and 2 touchdowns. With similar size to his brothers (6-foot-1, 195 pounds), the Freshman looks to have better speed and route-running than his siblings.
1. Terrace Marshall – WR - (LSU) – Marshall only has 7 catches for 124 yards on the season but looks awesome in limited duty. He benefits from the best quarterback play the Tigers have had in many years. The game against Alabama Saturday will test Joe Burrow’s ability. Marshall was a top-two receiver for most recruiting services. He has the size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds), solid routes, great hands, and the ability to break off big plays. We like Marshall’s chances of becoming a top-end NFL prospect.
Given the youth of this group, the rankings will be fluid in the coming weeks, months, and years as some of the more-talented players get increased playing time.
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