Conference Review: ACC

Rob Willette Posted On September 16, 2014

conner

Editor’s Note: This article is a Dynasty Scouts exclusive. Remember, our Dynasty Scouts section focuses on the stars of tomorrow, with a laser focus on High School recruits and College players who look to have the talent to be future assets in dynasty leagues and have value today in devy leagues. These articles will move to our Premium Content package starting on September 17th, but enjoy your free preview until then.

With college football in full swing, we’ll be bringing you a review of the “Big Five” conferences each and every week. These recaps will feature sections for “Premier Conference Performer,” “Rising Players,” “Falling Players,” and a special Freshman spotlight. These weekly reviews will keep you up-to-date on all the happenings in devy leagues and allow you to keep tabs on future dynasty league assets. By the time the NFL Draft rolls around, you won’t see too many strangers.

Premier Conference Performers

James Conner, RB Pittsburgh
Carries: 31
Yards: 177
Yard per carry: 5.7
Touchdowns: Three

[inlinead]There are significant questions as to whether or not James Conner is a true running back prospect. Many expected him to line up at defensive end during his college career, and his build supports the look of a lineman. However, you cannot ignore the massive numbers that he posts each time he lines up in the backfield. Predictably an incredibly difficult back to bring down, Conner also has surprising burst to the edge and feet normally seen on runners 50 pounds lighter. Ultimately, he may profile as an H-back type that can serve multiple roles for an offense.

Jon Hilliman, RB Boston College
Carries: 19
Yards: 89
Yard per carry: 4.7
Touchdowns: Two

Hilliman emerged as the lead back for the Eagles as they ran all over USC on Saturday night. The true freshman has emerged as the ideal north-south compliment to Myles Willis and allows the Eagles to line up and play power football behind their strong offensive line. With a lead back frame and sneaky wiggle, he’s poised to emerge as one of the league’s most productive backs over the next few years.

Rising

Shaun Wilson, RB Duke
Carries: 12
Yards: 245
Yard per carry: 20.4
Touchdowns: Two
Receptions: One
Yards: Seven

Piling up several hundred yards in rushing is sure to garner you some attention, regardless of the level of competition. Duke’s Shaun Wilson was able to do exactly that as the Blue Devils shredded Kansas in the This Would Be A Better Basketball Game Bowl. A four star in-state recruit, Wilson is a testament to the strides that the program has made under David Cutcliffe. The type of electric space player that rules in today’s spread the field game, he’s someone whose development should be monitored closely.

DeAndre Smelter, WR Georgia Tech
Receptions: Four
Yards: 106
Touchdowns: One

This is the second mention of DeAndre Smelter in this column. Consider it a PSA for one of the nation’s most overlooked talents. An established deep threat, he’s going to have bouts of inconsistency but devy owners are not looking for a finished product at this point; they’re looking for skills that translate to the net level. Smooth and powerful, Smelter is far more Demaryius Thomas than Stephen Hill. The untapped potential alone puts him on the draft radar.

Falling

Trey Edmunds, RB Virginia Tech
No Stats Accumulated

A strong redshirt freshman season led many to believe that Trey Edmunds would become the lead dog in the Hokies’ backfield, with some going as far as to spend a pick on the power back, presuming that he’d continue to evolve into a complete runner during his years in Blacksburg. Slow to recover from the broken tibia that ended his 2013 season, Edmunds sat out the opener and has been unable to earn any touches (literally) as he runs behind Marshawn Williams and Shai McKenzie. Not an explosive player prior to the injury, there’s a good chance he’s not ready to contribute at a high level this season. Buried on the depth chart behind two more versatile runners, we may have seen the best he has to offer.

Stacy Coley, WR Miami
DNP

It has not been the breakout season that many anticipated from Stacy Coley. A versatile playmaker during his freshman campaign, the Hurricanes were banking on a major step forward from one of their most dynamic talents. Instead, Coley was blanketed in the season opener against Louisville prior to suffering a shoulder injury against Florida A&M that knocked him out of Saturday’s contest against Arkansas State. An already slight athlete that failed to add significant good bulk over the offseason, he’s liable to get pushed around by physical defenses. Still a fluid athlete and gifted with the ball in his hands, it is far from time to sell him on the cheap. But he’s fallen behind other wide receivers in his tier and needs to rebound soon.

Freshmen Spotlight

Joseph Yearby, RB Miami

Despite being a Top 10 running break recruit per most major publications, Joseph Yearby was largely disregarded as a true devy prospect in anything but the deepest of leagues. While the following fact is purely anecdotal and means nothing in the grand scheme of things, Yearby did start over Dalvin Cook in high school, an indication of just how talented he is. Not quite bit, not quite fast, yet incredibly decisive and shifty, he relies more on instincts and vision than true dynamic athletic ability and that gives him staying power. Off to a promising start, he’s on his way to becoming Duke Johnson’s incumbent.

L.J. Scott, RB Lousville

Unlike Yearby, Louisville’s L.J. Scott was a player you had to scroll down the recruiting rankings to find. He was the type of recruit that was supposed to develop for a few years prior to making an impact. Stardom was never expected and it would have been no surprise if he became nothing more than a special teams contributor at the college level. Instead, Scott became a darling of fall camp and announced his arrival on the scene in a blowout of Murray State Week 2. With a frame that is not only college-ready, but NFL ready, he is a powerful runner that attacks the defense and immediately puts them on their heels, combining brute force and a slithery style that portends a very successful collegiate career. With Michael Dyer apparently perpetually on the sidelines, Scott is going to make an impact as a true freshman and establish himself as the future of the Louisville backfield.

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