Developing Assets: Week 13

With several games taking place on Friday, it’s a little lighter of a slate today, but it’s still an enticing set of games. Aside from a lot of top devy prospects in action, there are a couple key games which will shape this year’s college football playoff. Notre Dame has one final chance to state its case for a playoff berth as it travels to Stanford, and red-hot Oklahoma one more hurdle to clear to clinch its spot in the playoff, but it’ll be a tough one at rival Oklahoma State.

Speaking of rivalry games, the docket is loaded with them. Ohio State looks to bounce back against Michigan while South Carolina and Auburn will do everything in their power to spoil the seasons of their respective rivals.

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. We’ll give you several games to watch, 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.

Saturday

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Wake Up and Watch: No. 8 Ohio State at No. 10 Michigan (ABC, 12:00)

Having two of the nation’s top quarterbacks seemed like a good problem to have, but the Buckeyes’ inability to settle on either Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett laid the groundwork for a funky, disappointing campaign. That culminated last week with a head-scratching performance in a loss to Michigan State. An offense with a mastermind head coach and loads of talent sputtered its way to 132 total yards.

The loss did get the ball rolling on the 2016 NFL Draft declarations as Jones and star running back Ezekiel Elliott announced their intentions to forgo their final seasons in Columbus to enter this year’s draft.

Elliott will, in all likelihood, be the first running back chosen in both the NFL Draft and rookie drafts. In the loss to Michigan State, he snapped a streak of 15 straight games with at least 100 yards rushing, gaining just 33 yards on 12 carries. While he’s done plenty over the past two seasons to cement his draft stock, he’ll be looking to put a better showing on tape in his penultimate college game. After complaining about his usage last week, I expect Elliott to get fed in this game against a Michigan defense allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (100.2) in Division I.

Despite leaving early for the draft, Jones probably won’t be much of a factor in this game. He didn’t play a snap against Michigan State as Barrett appears to have taken the No. 1 job for good. With that said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer empty his bag of tricks since the Buckeyes are out of the title hunt, so maybe Jones will see some action.

Junior wideout Michael Thomas, who is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, is another likely early entrant into the 2016 NFL Draft. Thomas has made 47 receptions for 659 yards and eight touchdowns. His four-game touchdown streak was snapped last week. Playing in his final regular-season game, Braxton Miller will likely see more than the three touches he saw against Michigan State.

For Michigan, junior Jake Butt is one of my favorite tight end prospects. He’s really elevated his play of late as quarterback Jake Rudock has improved his game. Butt, a traditional tight end who doesn’t spend much time split out wide, is averaging six grabs for 74 yards and one score over the last two weeks. Butt has made at least four catches in four straight games. The difficulty tight ends face transitioning to the pro game has been well documented, but he has the tools to be a successful pro.

Rudock has improved as much as any college quarterback this year. A senior transfer from Iowa, Rudock was completely off the prospect radar and started the season slowly with a three-interception effort at Utah. He’s still unlikely to be drafted, but he’s shown incredible growth in his short time with Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. In the first three games, Rudock tossed three scores and five picks while averaging 194 yards per game. Over the last three games, he’s thrown for 344 yards per contest with 10 touchdowns and two picks. Facing a loaded Ohio State defense, Rudock can continue to raise his stock with a good performance.

Other teams in action around the noon hour, along with some players to focus on, include:

• No. 1 Clemson (Artavis Scott, Deon Cain, Deshaun Watson) at South Carolina (Pharoh Cooper), ESPN, 12:00
• Georgia (Keith Marshall, Sony Michel, Terry Godwin, Malcolm Mitchell) at Georgia Tech, ESPN2, 12:00
• Louisville at Kentucky (Stanley Williams, Patrick Towles), SECN, 12:00

 

Midday Marquee: No. 22 UCLA at USC (ABC, 3:30)

It seems like ages ago, but earlier this year, in Week 3, USC was the No. 6 team in the country. The Trojans have had a disappointing season, but they’re still full of devy talent.

Sophomore wideout Juju Smith-Schuster may be the top receiver in the 2017 class. He’s sixth in the nation with 110 yards per game, and he’s caught 68 passes for 10 touchdowns. This comes after Smith-Schuster put up 54 receptions, 724 yards and five scores last year as a freshman. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he has the size, hands and athletic ability to be a first-rounder in 2017, should he leave early.

Senior quarterback Cody Kessler has a couple things going in his favor. One, he’s run a pro-style offense in his three years starting for the Trojans. Two, he has an incredible 84-to-18 touchdown-to-interception ratio over those three seasons. Obviously, that’s phenomenal and speaks volumes about his ability to consistently make good decisions with the football. On the contrary, Kessler errs on the side of being too conservative a lot of the time with an abundance of short throws and check downs. With the weapons at his disposal, he needs to take more shots down field. The reason he doesn’t, I believe, is his lack of top-tier arm strength, which is his one big negative.

Sophomore Adoree’ Jackson is truly an elite athlete and a do-it-all weapon for USC. Jackson won the PAC 12 long jump title as a freshman, and he has established himself as one of college’s best cornerbacks. Jackson also spends time on offense, where his route running leaves a lot to be desired but the Trojans do a nice job getting him the ball in space.

Freshman running back Ronald Jones and junior Justin Davis have split carries nearly 50-50 this season in the Trojans’ backfield. Davis is coming off his best game of the year in a 141-yard effort in a loss to Oregon. He’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has five touchdowns. Jones, a top recruit (Rivals’ No. 8 running back) has lived up to the billing in his first season. He’s racked up 827 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Like most freshmen, he’s not a very good receiver right now (five receptions), but he has time to improve his pass-catching skills.

In a season where a lot of the top college quarterbacks have disappointed, to a degree, UCLA freshman signal caller Josh Rosen has put together an extremely impressive debut year. Rivals’ No. 1 quarterback for the 2015 high school class, Rosen has completed 60 percent of his throws for 7.62 yards per attempt, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His throwing mechanics are a thing of beauty. I think Rosen is the best quarterback prospect in all of college football. We’ll dig deep and find warts over the next two seasons, but Rosen has everything in place to be a No. 1 pick down the road.

UCLA has a pair of potent running backs in Soso Jamabo and Paul Perkins. A junior, Perkins has amassed 1,180 yards and 10 scores on 5.7 yards per carry. He had a slightly better season last year, when he averaged 6.3 yards per carry on his way to a 1,575-yard season. The 2016 running back class is fairly muddled after Elliott and Derrick Henry, with Perkins right there in the second tier. Jamabo is playing in a complementary role this season, but he’s flashed the electric ability which made him Rivals’ No. 4 back in the 2015 class. Jamabo has carried the ball 65 times for 404 yards (6.2 YPC) and four scores.

Senior receiver Jordan Payton is the Bruins’ top playmaker on the perimeter. He’s been a very dependable player for UCLA the past two seasons. Payton has hauled in 71 passes for 1,009 yards and four touchdowns. He reminds me of a little bigger Golden Tate. Payton is a load after the catch, and what he lacks in explosive ability, he makes up for with strong hands and solid route running. He profiles as a move-the-chains No. 2 or No. 3 receiver at the next level.

Other teams in midday action, along with some players to watch, include:

• Penn State (Christian Hackenberg, Saquon Barkley) at No. 5 Michigan State (Connor Cook, L.J. Scott, Macgarrett Kings), ESPN, 3:30
• No. 2 Alabama (ArDarius Stewart, Robert Foster, Damien Harris, Calvin Ridley, Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake) at Auburn (Peyton Barber), CBS, 3:30
• No. 14 North Carolina (Quinshad Davis, Elijah Hood, Bug Howard, Ryan Switzer, Mack Hollins) at North Carolina State (Jacoby Brissett), ESPN2, 3:30
• Vanderbilt at Tennessee (Alvin Kamara, Joshua Dobbs, Josh Malone, Marquez North, Jalen Hurd), SECN, 4:00

 

Primetime Play: No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 9 Stanford (FOX, 7:30)

Notre Dame has been covered here twice this season, so I won’t spend much time on them. There is a brief update, however. Junior wideout Will Fuller, who has put together a splendid campaign, has announced he is staying at Notre Dame for next season. Fuller has seen his stock improve as he’s racked up 1,009 yards and 12 touchdowns this year. Fuller entered the season as a receiver who was only elite at the deep ball. He’s certainly made big plays, averaging 20 yards per catch, but he’s shown a slightly more diverse skill set this year. I expected him to capitalize on his rising stock and enter this year’s draft, but another year of seasoning will likely help him become a better all-around wideout.

Stanford started the year with a 16-6 loss to Northwestern. At the time, it was viewed as a bad loss, but the Wildcats ended up being better than most anticipated. The Cardinal reeled off eight straight wins before suffering a two-point loss to red-hot Oregon. Stanford, unless things get really crazy, is out of the playoff hunt, but a Notre Dame win will make it hard to leave the Irish, whose only loss is a two-point defeat at No. 1 Clemson, out of the top four.

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan is a good-but-not-great prospect in just about all areas. His biggest flaw is a lengthy throwing motion while his greatest strength is his ideal size (6-foot-4, 218 pounds). The Cardinal don’t ask Hogan to win games with his arm very often, and he’s had three games this season where he’s attempted less than 15 passes. Hogan, a senior, is completing 67 percent of his throws for 19 touchdowns and seven picks.

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey is one of the best (and most entertaining) all-around players in college football. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound running back is a big play waiting to happen. There aren’t too many players who can legitimately score any time they touch the ball, but McCaffrey is one of them. After a quiet freshman year, he’s emerged as one of the top weapons in the 2017 class.

McCaffrey excels as a runner, receiver and returner. Last week against California, he totaled 389 all-purpose yards. He boasts 1,546 rushing yards and seven touchdowns as a runner. As a receiver, he’s made 34 receptions for 416 yards and three scores. He’s also averaging 31.2 yards per kick return. It’ll be interesting to see what role McCaffrey winds up playing in the NFL. I could see him flourishing as a third-down back in the mold of a Dion Lewis or Danny Woodhead. I may be selling him short on his overall ability as a running back, though.

Other teams with evening games, along with some players to focus on, include:

• No. 18 Mississippi (Evan Engram, Laquon Treadwell, Markell Pack, DaMarkus Lodge) at No. 21 Mississippi State (De’Runnya Wilson, Dak Prescott), ESPN2, 7:30
• Texas A&M (Kyle Allen, Speedy Noil, Ricky Seals-Jones, Christian Kirk), at LSU (Derrius Guice, Leonard Fournette, Travin Dural, Trey Quinn, Malachi Dupre), SECN, 7:30
• No. 13 Florida State (Dalvin Cook, Travis Rudolph, Jesus Wilson, Everett Golson, Ermon Lane, Auden Tate, George Campbell, Jacques Patrick) at No. 12 Florida (DeMarcus Robinson), ESPN, 7:30
• No. 3 Oklahoma (Baker Mayfield, Sterling Shepard, Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon) at No. 8 Oklahoma State (David Glidden, James Washington), ABC, 8:00
• Colorado State (Rashard Higgins) at Fresno State, CBSS, 9:00
• Arizona State (D.J. Foster, Demario Richard) at California (Jared Goff, Kenny Lawler), FS1, 10:00

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