Dynasty Scouts Conference Review: Big Ten and ACC

Here at Dynasty Scouts, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed about the latest happenings in college football. We watch all of the games so you don’t have to. Here’s some of what we noticed this past weekend.

ACC

Premier Conference Performer

Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State (Junior)

19 carries, 169 yards, four touchdowns, two catches, 15 yards vs. Clemson

Cook’s 184 total yards and four touchdowns blew up social media and elevated his status to one of the top running back prospects to come out in the last few years. He currently ranks fifth in the nation with 1,069 rushing yards and he also ranks tenth in the nation with 11 rushing touchdowns. He currently owns an astounding 37.48 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.

Rising

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Mike Williams, WR Clemson (Junior)

Seven carries, 70 yards vs. Florida State

Williams is starting to heat up and it looks like he’s going to finish his junior season campaign strong. His size creates a lot of mismatches with the defensive backs and he has the ability to come down with tough contested catches. He should be one of the top wide receiver prospects in the draft if he elects to forgo his senior season and come out for the draft.

James Conner, RB Pittsburgh (Junior)

19 carries, 141 yards, three touchdowns vs. Virginia Tech

Conner was very tenacious running the football last Thursday night against the Hokies, rushing for 141 yards and three touchdowns. He displayed a lot of burst on most of his carries and he used his large frame to make defenders pay while finishing his runs. This was his third 100-yard game of the season as he currently has 672 yards on the year, ranking fourth in the ACC.

Bucky Hodges, TE Virginia Tech (Junior)

Six catches, 145 yards vs. Pittsburgh

Hodges did a very good job at using his body to shield away defenders to make multiple contested catches. He’s fantastic at catching balls with defensive backs draped all over him. He also moves very well for his size. Hodges is going to be one of the top tight end prospects in next year’s draft class.

Isaiah Ford, WR Virginia Tech (Junior)

Ten catches, 143 yards, one touchdown, one carry, 26 yards vs. Pittsburgh

Ford is very underrated, and that’s mostly due to Virginia Tech’s lack of volume in the passing game. He’s a great route runner and he has the speed to burn defensive backs. This was his third game of the season with over 100-yards receiving, giving him 648 yards on the year while owning a 31.24 percent market share of the team’s passing offense.

Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville (Sophomore)

24/41 passing, 361 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, 17 carries, 88 yards vs. Virginia

Jackson is cemented as one of the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy this season. He had another tremendous performance last Saturday against Virginia, gaining 449 total yards and passing for four touchdowns. His stat line would’ve been even more impressive but there were a few crucial drops by his receivers early in the game. He currently ranks second in the ACC with 996 rushing yards.

Jamari Staples, WR Louisville (Senior)

Seven catches, 120 yards, one touchdown vs. Virginia

Staples is Lamar Jackson’s go-to wide receiver and he had a remarkable performance against the Virginia Cavaliers, catching seven receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. This was his second game of the season surpassing the 100-yard mark and he currently has 546 yards on the year, seventh in the ACC.

Falling

Taquan Mizzell, RB Virginia (Senior)

20 carries, 66 yards, five catches, 44 yards vs. Louisville

Mizzell was shut down to just a 3.3 yards per carry average by the Louisville defense. Virginia trailed during most of the game, causing them to abandon the run, limiting opportunities for Mizzell to showcase his skillset running the football. He was heavily used in the passing game, which is a good sign, because being able to catch the ball out of the backfield is an important attribute for a running back prospect trying to advance to the next level. This was a tough game and Mizzell’s performance in this game shouldn’t downgrade his overall body of work.

Matthew Dayes, RB North Carolina State (Senior)

19 carries, 45 yards, five catches, 33 yards vs. Boston College

Boston College’s defense controlled the line of scrimmage and shut down NC State’s ability to open up the rushing lanes for Dayes to run through, causing to rush for just 2.4 yards per carry. Most of his yards came on one carry where he rushed for 24 yards, take that away and he would’ve finished the game with a 1.17 yards per carry average. His season so far has been tremendous as he surpassed the 100-yard mark five times, but he has rushed for just 58-yards in his last two games.

Brad Kaaya, QB Miami (Junior)

26/42 passing, 288 yards, one touchdown, one interception vs. Notre Dame

It’s been a woeful season for Kaaya as he led the Hurricanes to their fourth defeat of the season. He was inaccurate on a lot of his passes, completing just 61.9 percent of his attempts. He’s not taking over games like he did last season and his stock is slowly dropping as the season goes on. He was considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation going into this season. There’s still a few games left in the season and if he can finish the season strong, then he could potentially salvage some of the value that has been lost during his junior season.

Freshman Spotlight

Kelvin Harmon, WR North Carolina State (Freshman)

Five catches, 80 yards, one touchdown vs. Boston College

Harmon is a three-star recruit from Palmyra, New Jersey who was heavily recruited by Miami, Rutgers and South Carolina before making the decision to sign with the NC State Wolfpack. This was his breakout game as he caught five receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. He’s a tall and lanky player who stands at six-foot-three-inches tall and weighs 196-pounds, but he has a few years to pack on some mass before he’s even considered a finished product. The fact that he’s already seeing the field and producing is a positive note.

Big Ten

Premiere Conference Performer

Saquon Barkley, RB Penn State (Sophomore)

18 carries, 207 yards, two touchdowns, three catches, 70 yards vs. Purdue

Barkley exploded with 277 total yards and two touchdowns against Purdue on Saturday. This was his second game of the season surpassing 200-yards rushing. He currently has 888-yards on the ground this season while owning a 35.11 percent market share of the team’s total offensive production.

Rising

LJ Scott, RB Michigan State (Sophomore)

22 carries, 139 yards, one touchdown, two catches, 47 yards vs. Michigan

Scott is starting to turn it on  as this was his second straight game eclipsing the 120-yard mark on the ground. He appears to be finally fully healed up from the injuries he was suffered from earlier this season. He possesses a nice blend of size and burst which makes him very tough to tackle in the open field. He has the size to be a three down back at the next level. With four games left in the season, Scott looks to bolster his stat line and end the year as one of the top running backs in the country for the 2018 draft class.

Amara Darboh, WR Michigan (Senior)

Eight catches, 165 yards vs. Michigan State

Darboh was virtually uncoverable as he used his superb route running to create separation from defenders, allowing him to easily get open and make the necessary catches to keep drives a live. He has tremendous concentration when it comes to reeling in tough contested catches. He currently has 664 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

Austin Carr, WR Northwestern (Senior)

Eight catches, 158 yards vs. Ohio State

Carr is big, physical and can run great routes, which are all great qualities for a wide receiver prospect. Football was an afterthought when he originally enrolled at Northwestern for their academics and later decided to try out as a walk-on to the football team. Fast forward to now as he is currently leads the Big Ten in receiving with 878 yards and he owns a 45.16 percent market share of the team’s passing offense.

Curtis Samuel, RB Ohio State (Junior)

Seven carries, 31 yards, one touchdown, seven catches, 68 yards vs. Northwestern

Samuel needs to get the more ball. He’s one of the most dynamic players in the country and head coach Urban Meyer needs to figure out a way to make him more of a focal point of the offense. His 99-total-yards was enough to provide a spark for Ohio State’s offense and to help them move the ball enough to prevent them from getting upset by Northwestern. He’s the best player on Ohio State’s offense and he should receive a lot more recognition then what he’s currently receiving.

Rodney Smith, RB Minnesota (Sophomore)

20 carries, 100 yards, two touchdowns, two catches, 19 yards vs. Illinois

Smith shouldered the load for Minnesota, carrying the ball 20 times for 100-yards and two touchdowns. He ran the ball effectively between the tackles, helping the team run down the clock late in the game. This was his fifth game of the season surpassing 100-yards rushing and he currently has 801 rushing yards on the year.

Shannon Brooks, RB Minnesota (Sophomore)

12 carries, 59 yards, one touchdown vs. Illinois

Brooks only received 12-touches in this game but he made the best of his situation by rushing for 4.9 yards per carry and a touchdown. There’s not as many touches to go around in Minnesota’s backfield but he always figures out a way to maximize his opportunities within the offense. He’s a fun back to watch, because his blend of power and agility makes a nice compliment to Rodney Smith.

Devine Redding, RB Indiana (Junior)

17 carries, 130 yards, one catch, 15 yards vs. Maryland

Redding was an intricate part of Indiana’s offense as he helped lead the team to a 42-36 victory over Maryland. This is the fourth game of the season where he eclipsed the 100-yard mark and he currently has 720 yards on the season. Redding owns a 22.75 percent market share of Indiana’s total offensive production.

Falling

Tommy Armstrong, QB Nebraska (Senior)

12/31 passing, 153 yards, two interceptions, 13 carries, 39 yards, one touchdown vs. Wisconsin

Armstrong was very inefficient throwing the football, completing just 38.7 percent of his passes while tossing two interceptions. He’s a solid quarterback for Nebraska’s system but he’s not a serious candidate to become prolific quarterback at the next level. Inaccurate passes and poor decision making while throwing the football will hold him back from cracking a starting lineup in the NFL.

Dontre Wilson, WR Ohio State (Senior)

One catch, four yards, three carries, negative two yards vs. Northwestern

Wilson’s entire career at Ohio State has been a disappointment and I don’t see him developing enough to become a serious prospect going into next year’s draft. He might draw some buzz for his speed if he gets and invite to the combine, but he’s undersized and he has a very limited route tree.

De’Veon Smith, RB Michigan (Senior)

11 carries, 38 yards, two touchdowns vs. Michigan State

Smith hasn’t been playing bad, but he’s starting to lose carries to other running on the team. He only had a 26.19 percent market share of the carries on Saturday against Michigan State. The Wolverines have a lot of talent at running back which is going to make it almost impossible for Smith to finish the season as the team’s bell cow back.

Freshman Spotlight

Tyler Natee, RB Indiana (Freshman)

18 carries, 111 yards, one touchdown vs. Maryland

Natee is a massive 260-pound running back who is a load to bring down in the open field. This is the first game of his career with more than then ten carries and also the first game of his career where he surpassed 100-yards rushing. He could potential become the lead back of the future for Indiana when Devine Redding decides to declare for the draft.

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