Devy 100 — Four Star Wide Receivers, Part II

Rob Willette

Fantasy football is an inexact science. Numerous factors can conspire to make even the surest of things an uber-bust (looking at you, Trent Richardson). Take this one level down to the college ranks, and you’re really engaging in a mostly futile exercise which involves interpreting how college talent translates to the NFL. This leads to an incredibly high bust rate and immortalizes individuals like Jamie Harper in the Hall of Disappointment.

This is the third annual installment of The Devy 100, an endeavor which embraces the Sisyphus-esque journey known as a devy league. Rather than a standard, mundane numbered list, this breaks 100 players into tiers. As an ode to recruiting rankings, they’ve been assigned a star ranking. A brief description of each star ranking and how I perceive them below:

  • Five Star: The elite. They look poised to become high NFL draft picks and have the skills to become annual fantasy contributors.
  • Four Star: These are potentially elite players. They just have one flaw – be it inexperience, modest physical tools, or limited production – which prevents them from joining the top tier.
  • Three Star: These are individuals I would not be actively pursuing in standard, smaller devy leagues. However, in larger leagues they merit a roster spot and at the least they’re someone worth monitoring.

There are, of course, players who don’t fit any of these criteria but we’re not talking about them in an article. We continue with four star players at wide receiver, part two.

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Calvin Ridley, WR Alabama Crimson Tide

In between early bird dinners and movie theater discounts, Calvin Ridley ripped up the SEC and made Tide fans quickly forget about the absence of Robert Foster. He was deadly on short screens and utilized his long speed to routinely beat defenses down the field. I’m of the opinion Ridley is a touch overrated; he’s got a thin build and I’d like to see him do more damage in contested catch situations. However, his early developmental curve is promising and he’s quickly established himself as a top prospect for 2018 despite his advanced age.

James Washington, WR Oklahoma State Cowboys

One of college football’s breakout stars in 2015, James Washington finally gave the Cowboys a star receiver after years of waiting for J’Jahuan Seales or Marcell Ateman to pop. Despite a build which almost makes him look like a running back, Washington wins with elite ball skills and an innate ability to make plays in traffic. Though he doesn’t look the part, he has receiver skills in spades and has a great shot to be one of the first receivers off the board in 2017.

Kyle Davis, WR Auburn Tigers

A rare trait of this 2016 wide receiver recruiting class is it features a surfeit of talent physically ready to compete at the college level. Nobody better embodies the fact than Kyle Davis, a rocked-up, 220-pound pass catcher who thrives in tight spaces and bullies defenders as he hits the catch point. Auburn has a ton of holes to fill at receiver. While offseason shoulder injury may impede his path to early playing time, the early entry still has a great confluence of opportunity and skill to make a 2016 impact possible. A strong, competitive receiver and plus athlete, Davis is currently my number one player in the entire recruiting class.

Christian Kirk, WR Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies can’t seem to do anything right these days, but one thing they did right was lure Christian Kirk to College Station. Kirk was an all-purpose maven as a true freshman; more importantly, he flashed enough receiving promise to take notice, operating in a variety of ways for a mercurial offense. Undersized and more quick than fast, Kirk would do well to become a technician at the position and become a potential slot terror.

Jordan Villamin, WR Oregon State Beavers

The Oregon State program has quietly been churning out quality receiver prospects for years now, and Jordan Villamin looks to be next in line. A jumbo receiver who uses his body well, Villamin is not explosive but he does yeoman work in a lot of areas and is no stranger to the big play. Like many bigger receivers, he lacks the absolutely insatiable need for contact; however, if he can add the physicality element to his game he could be a bona fide number one receiver at the next level. As is, he looks like a great complementary weapon and has plenty of room for growth.

A.J. Brown, WR Ole Miss Runnin’ Rebels

A.J. Brown settled on Ole Miss late in the recruiting process, because why wouldn’t he? The Rebels have been stacking receivers up like pancakes and have one of the deepest groups in the nation. Brown has been hailed by many as a natural Laquon Treadwell replacement; he’s not a premier athlete (at least vertically) yet he wins with physicality and the ability to out-muscle defenders in tight quarters. With his level of physical maturity and his possession-receiver ready game, he could contribute immediately for the Rebels.

Travin Dural, WR LSU Tigers

Much like Malachi Dupre, we seldom get to see what Travin Dural can do thanks to high school level quarterback play at LSU. Dural gets used on sweeps, screens, and myriad of gadget plays due to his long speed and playmaking ability. He’s bigger than you’d expect at a listed 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds and has plenty of ability to make plays in traffic. He’s a tad underrated at this point due to limited opportunity to flash the full array of skills.

Michael Pittman, WR USC Trojans

The son of the former NFL running back by the same name, Michael Pittman is not quite as chiseled as his father yet possesses great size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and I feel his fluidity is better than given credit for, as well. Pittman can bully defenders and while not explosive he still manages to chew up yardage with long strides and high effort. He’s got a lot of competition within his peer group out west, but I am higher on him than the consensus seems to be.

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rob willette