Developing Assets: Week One, Part One

Austan Kas

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It wouldn’t be the first week of the college football season if 90 percent of the games didn’t match the big boys against cream puffs. It’s still football and it’s games that count, so we’ll take it!

While there is only one contest this first weekend featuring a pair of Top 25 teams, there are a handful of other intriguing matchups and loads of future NFL talent on display. We’ll take a look at those NFL-bound players to help those of you in developmental (devy) leagues or help you start the preparation for 2016 rookie drafts.

This season-opening article in the series will be split in two because of college football’s funky schedule this first week. This installment will look at the Thursday and Friday slate, while part two will cover the games for Saturday and Monday.

Remember, We have in-depth rankings for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 classes, which we update throughout the season. We also have a breakdown on what the heck a devy league is, in case it’s foreign to you.

Thursday Night Showcase

The season kicks off with a little border war action as North Carolina plays South Carolina in Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. Each team features some devy talent, with the Tar Heels boasting three players — Quinshad Davis, Elijah Hood and Juval Mollette — in our rankings.

Davis, a 6-foot-4, 220 pound senior, had 41 receptions for 470 yards and six touchdowns in 2014. He’s supposed to be 100 percent recovered from the broken right leg he suffered on North Carolina’s last offensive play of the 2014 season. Davis is ranked as the 23rd receiver in our 2016 class of draft-eligible prospects.

Hood, Rivals’ fourth-ranked running back in the 2014 class, was fairly inefficient last season, although he was just a true freshman. He totaled 259 yards and three scores on 67 carries (3.9 YPC). We have him rated as the 16th-best back in the 2017 draft class.

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The Tar Heels also have Mollette, a true freshman wideout who Rivals rated as a four-star and the No. 34 receiver in the 2015 class. Reports out of preseason camp predict he’s unlikely to play much right away, though. Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins, a pair of junior receivers, are worth monitoring.

South Carolina features receiver Pharoh Cooper, the eighth overall player on our big board. Aside from getting to take over the throne as the best SEC wideout with the last name Cooper, he has a shot to be the conference’s top receiver, though there will be some stiff competition for that title. Cooper — who converted from cornerback as a freshman — grabbed 69 balls for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago as a sophomore.

Another Thursday game of interest (along with players to watch) includes:
No. 2 TCU (Josh Doctson, Trevone Boykin) at Minnesota (Jeff Jones), Thursday, ESPN, 9:00
Michigan (Jim Harbaugh’s debut) against Utah (Devontae Booker), Thursday, Fox Sports1, 8:30

Friday Night Football: No. 5 Michigan State at. Western Michigan (ESPNU, 7:00)

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This may look like another one of those David vs. Goliath matchups, but Western Michigan boasts two of the top devy assets in running back Jarvion Franklin (read our feature on him here) and receiver Corey Davis. It promises to be an electric atmosphere, too, as the country’s fifth-ranked team — an in-state rival no less — doesn’t often make trips to Kalamazoo, Mich.

This will be a great opportunity to see Davis and Franklin against top-level competition — something that doesn’t happen often in the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos do play Ohio State, as well.

Michigan State has built itself into a football power in recent years thanks in large part to a rock-solid defense. It’ll be no different this year with strong safety D.J. Williamson and defensive end Shilique Calhoun, both of whom are consensus top ten players at their positions on 2016 draft boards.

Davis, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior, is our third-ranked devy receiver. He racked up 78 catches for 1,408 yards and an eye-popping 15 touchdowns a year ago. As a freshman, he totaled 67 grabs for 941 yards and six scores. Franklin burst on to the scene last year as a true freshman. A three-star recruit on Rivals, he exploded for 1,551 yards and 24 touchdowns on 306 carries (5.1 YPC). Franklin is our No. 19 running back for 2017.

Michigan State is quarterbacked by 6-foot-4, 220-pound redshirt senior Connor Cook, who is our eighth-ranked 2016 signal caller. He’s likely going to be a first round pick in next year’s NFL Draft, and some draft sites have Cook as the first quarterback off the board.

Another Friday game of interest, along with players to watch, include:
No. 4 Baylor (K.D. Cannon, Davion Hall, Corey Coleman, Ishmael Zamora) at SMU, ESPN, 7:00

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