Developing Assets: Week 12

This week featured six games between Top 25 teams. Unfortunately, the TCU-Oklahoma matchup was a little watered down with Horned Frogs’ receiver Josh Doctson (wrist) and quarterback Trevone Boykin (ankle) out.

There was still a lot of mouth-watering action in Week 12, headlined by a pair of games with massive playoff implications. The first took place in the afternoon between Ohio State and Michigan State and resulted in an upset before Baylor traveled to Oklahoma State in the nightcap. There were a couple other loaded matchups (USC against Oregon and LSU versus Ole Miss) which I’m not diving head first into, but they’re certainly were worth watching, as well.

In this series, we take a look at NFL prospects with a focus on the offensive skill positions to help those of you in developmental (devy) leagues. This week we review several games, along with some key devy players who will be in action. For those in regular dynasty formats, this gives you a chance to start checking out some of the players who will be available in 2016 (and beyond) rookie drafts.

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.

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Saturday

Wake Up and Watch: No. 12 Michigan 28, Penn State 16

What Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has done in his first year with the Wolverines is pretty remarkable. I guess it shouldn’t be stunning, though, because Harbaugh has won wherever he’s been.

Michigan has an extremely stout defense, but as far as devy talent goes, the maize and blue are fairly barren. If we stretch it, they have two prospects in quarterback Jake Rudock and tight end Jake Butt, with Butt likely their only for sure draft pick among skill position players.

Butt is a 6-foot-6, 248-pound junior who is having a stellar season. He is a ready-made NFL weapon, and he’s been hot lately, going for five catches, 66 yards and a touchdown Saturday. Unlike most college teams who don’t showcase tight ends well, Michigan is deploying Butt the same way he’ll be used in the NFL. Butt’s not flashy, but he has sure hands and is fairly good after the catch. He reminds me of Kyle Rudolph.

Rudock is still a long-shot to get drafted, but he’s drastically improved his stock this season. The fact he’s even considered draftable is nothing short of amazing. Harbaugh is known for his work with quarterbacks, and he’s done wonders with Rudock. At a time when most prospects are piloting systems pretty dissimilar to what they’ll do in the NFL, Rudock’s quarterbacking an NFL-type offense which NFL scouts know works in the NFL. He probably had his best game of the year in last week’s double-overtime win at Indiana, completing 33-of-46 passes for 440 yards, six touchdowns and one pick. Saturday he was 25 of 38 for 256 yards and two touchdowns.

While the quarterback on one side has seen his draft stock improve these past three months, Penn State junior signal caller Christian Hackenberg has seen his go the other way. In most draft circles, Hackenberg came into last season, his sophomore year, as a strong candidate to be the first quarterback off the board in the 2016 NFL Draft, but his on-field performance the past two seasons hasn’t matched the billing. Saturday was not very good either, completing only 13 of 31 passes for 137 yards and a score.

Rivals’ No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the 2013 high school class, Hackenberg was recruited by then-Nittany Lions Head Coach Bill O’Brien. He had a decent freshman year, throwing for 20 touchdowns and 12 picks, but he struggled tremendously as a sophomore, finishing with 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Hackenberg has been better this season, racking up 13 scores and three picks, but his 54.2 completion percentage, which is the worst mark of his career, leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not a particularly good quarterback class, so Hackenberg may still wind up as a first rounder, if he opts to leave early. Considering the quarterback situation in Houston, O’Brien might have a hard time not drafting his former prized recruit.

The most impressive Penn State prospect this season has been the player standing right behind Hackenberg before most snaps, running back Saquon Barkley. A true freshman, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Barkley has shown flashes of top-end running back play. Saturday he had 15 carries for 68 yards. Despite catching only 10 balls this season, he appears to have the necessary tools to be a capable receiving weapon, too. Grabbing a pair for 19 yards this weekend.

Receiver Chris Godwin is another intriguing Nittany Lions’ prospect. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has broken out after a fairly quiet freshman season. He has 49 receptions for 808 yards and three touchdowns. Over the past four games, Godwin is averaging 104.5 yards per contest. Saturday  he had three catches for 51 yards.

Midday Marquee: No. 9 Michigan State 17, No. 3 Ohio State 14

Up to this point, Ohio State has basically sleepwalked its way through the regular season, with its eye on these next two weeks when it plays Michigan State and Michigan. A one-loss Ohio State team might be able to still make the playoff, but I’m betting the Buckeyes don’t want to find out if that’s true.

J.T. Barrett, a sophomore, is the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, for now. He is a typical Urban Meyer quarterback in that he’s a dual-threat weapon who can throw well on the run, but he’s probably not going to be an NFL quarterback. Barrett is completing 65.9 percent of his throws for 622 yards, eight scores and three picks. He’s added 403 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Saturday Barrett was 9-of-16 for only 46 yards through the air. Cardale Jones, a junior, is completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,460 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Jones, the backup, is more of an NFL-type signal caller. After playing nearly flawlessly as he led Ohio State on a magical three-game ride to the title last year, Jones has shown some glaring weaknesses this season, most notably his decision-making, but he has a big arm and enticing tools.

Junior running back Ezekiel Elliott and junior wideout Michael Thomas will be early picks in both rookie drafts and the 2016 NFL draft, assuming they leave after this season. If Elliott winds up in Dallas, like a lot of mock drafts are predicting (even though it’s still extremely early), he may be the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in most 2016 rookie drafts. This weekend he had 12 carries for 33 yards. Thomas, who only had two catches for eight yards Saturday, is our No. 4 wideout in the 2016 class while Elliott is our No. 1 running back.

Elliott, who has 15 straight 100-yard games, has been a monster these past two years. He rushed for 1,878 yards and 18 scores while averaging 6.9 yards per carry a season ago. This year, he’s amassed 1,425 yards and 16 touchdowns while picking up 6.5 yards per attempt before this weekend. Thomas has 47 grabs for 659 yards and eight touchdowns. Thomas is right there as one the class’s premier wideouts despite having never gone over 800 receiving yards in a season.

Braxton Miller has transitioned well to his role as a utility-type weapon. Miller, our No. 14 receiver for 2016, has 32 catches for 324 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver. By watching him run routes, you wouldn’t know this was his first year as a wideout. He still has work to do, but he’s picked things up quickly. Out of the backfield, Miller has totaled 227 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. His fit in an NFL offense is uncertain as I’m not sold on him playing receiver at the game’s highest level, but his open-field ability and athleticism will earn him a roster spot somewhere.

Much like Hackenberg and Jones, Michigan State’s Connor Cook, a fifth-year senior, came into the year as one of the quarterbacks in the conversation to be a first-round pick, but his play hasn’t made him a first-round lock. Cook is completing just 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,482 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. He missed Saturday’s tilt with an injury.

Cook, who is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, is maddeningly inconsistent. He’ll look like a No. 1 pick one series, and then struggle with footwork and accuracy on the next possession, although his poise in the pocket is much better than it was last season. I have no idea about Cook’s makeup and attitude, but scouts reportedly don’t love it. They’re especially hung up on trying to figure out why the fifth-year senior quarterback wasn’t voted a team captain. To me, it’s just part of the nitpicking and digging which goes into the pre-draft process. Most of the time, I don’t get too caught up in character issues when evaluating prospects, but it’s quarterbacks are judged differently. I don’t know why Cook isn’t a captain, but I know if he comes out and lights up the Buckeyes, it will likely catapult him to the top of the class whether or not he’s present for the coin toss.

LJ Scott, a true freshman, has 94 carries for 519 yards and nine touchdowns. Early in the year, he seemed to be working his way into a workhorse role, but a decrease in production and trouble holding onto the football has resulted in him spending a lot of time on the sidelines lately. Saturday he had 13 carries for 58 yards. Scott, a Rivals’ four-star recruit and the No. 6 running back in the 2015 high school class, actually chose the Spartans over the Buckeyes.

Seniors Aaron Burbridge and Macgarrett Kings are the Spartans’ top receivers. Burbridge leads the way with 65 receptions for 1,021 yards and six touchdowns. Kings has 32 catches for 450 yards and five scores. This weekend it was Burbridge doing all the damage with four catches for 62 yards. Kings had only one catch for eight yards.

Primetime Play: No. 10 Baylor 45, No. 6 Oklahoma State 35

I just covered Baylor last week, so I’ll focus on Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have flown under the radar until the last few weeks, possibly because they’re a team without well-known stars. They nearly slipped up at Iowa State last week, coming from behind to win 35-31. This week they finally tripped up and lost at home to the Bears.

Sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph pulls the strings for Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has superb size and a really smooth, fluid delivery. He throws the ball a lot harder than it looks like he’s going to throw it, if that makes sense. After starting the final three games last year, Rudolph has improved his numbers across the board in 2015. Saturday he was 27-for-50 430 yards and three touchdowns.

Oklahoma State also utilizes backup quarterback J.W. Walsh in certain packages. It’s an odd deal, but it’s certainly worked well. Unlike Rudolph, Walsh is more of a scrambler, but he will throw it. He’s 22-of-28 for 355 yards, 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He’s added 50 carries for 226 yards and 10 scores. Saturday his only pass was a three-yard touchdown, while on the ground he had five carries for nine yards and a score.

James Washington, David Glidden and Marcell Ateman are Oklahoma State’s top wideouts. Washington, a sophomore, paces the team with 40 catches, 820 yards and seven scores. Saturday, he had five catches for 88 yards and two scores. Glidden, a senior, has totaled 45 catches for 714 yards and three scores, but he hasn’t reached the end zone in Big 12 play. This weekend he had five catches for 69 yards. Ateman, a junior, came up big in the win over Iowa State, recording eight catches for 132 yards and a score. Saturday he had five catches for 83 yards.

The Cowboys have been extremely balanced, attempting 376 passes and 378 runs. Junior running back Chris Carson has received the most carries (108), but no Cowboys’ back has more than 450 yards this season. Saturday he was stuffed for six carries and only 20 yards.

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