Devy 100: 70-66

Rob Willette Posted On June 18, 2019

As dynasty owners putter about the interwebs discussing short shuttle times and dissecting the nuances of the Dominator Rating, Devy owners are intently watching Spring Practices and eyeing key positional battles. They say dynasty football never sleeps, but devy football never even rests. From Signing Day (both of them) to fall camp, devy calendars are chock-full of important dates.

The Devy 100 is a breakdown of some of the best collegiate talent around. Players will be missed; others will emerge. My rankings will be cursed from Juneau, Alaska to Key West, Florida. Yet hopefully it provides a modicum of assistance to those navigating the murky waters of deep leagues, struggling to identify their tenth round selection as they decide between Auburn’s third-string running back and an incoming freshman receiver at Ohio State. Without any further inane ramblings, on to the list.

70. Lynn Bowden, WR Kentucky (2020 Eligible)

The Skinny: It has essentially been a game of pitch and catch during Lynn Bowden’s first two seasons on campus; get him the football and watch him work. It is attributable both to Bowden’s raw skill-set out of high school as well as Kentucky’s limited passing attack. Despite limited experience as a true receiver, Bowden’s playmaking abilities have shined.

He’s a terror after the catch and has a nuanced enough game to generate a feel for soft spots in the defense, settling in as a safety net for his quarterback. With an athletic foundation and growth from year one to year two, there is a lot of untapped potential with Bowden, though the limitations prevent from sniffing the top tier of the 2020 receiver class.

2019 Outlook: With Benny Snell now in Pittsburgh, Bowden is the Wildcats’ top playmaker. The big question is whether Terry Wilson’s game takes another step in his second season on campus. Wilson’s passing line in 2018 – to be kind – was uninspiring.

An additional year of growth from both Wilson and Bowden (and to be fair to Wilson, he was much better towards the end of 2018) and Bowden could be the type of all-purpose threat who appeals to teams on day two.

69. Terrace Marshall, WR LSU Tigers (2021 Eligible)

The Skinny: LSU receivers. They arrive as phenoms and often get buried within an offense which has somehow failed to produce a consistent passing game for what has seemed like centuries. Terrace Marshall is the latest mega-recruit to enter the fray, and early returns are much more promising than they have been for many of his predecessors.

While the numbers were modest (12 receptions for 192 yards and zero scores) we did see a little of the size/speed combination which made Marshall such a coveted prospect out of high school. He’s still mostly projection at this point, but you seldom find guys with this toolkit at a reasonable price.

2019 Outlook: The Tigers return a majority of their production at wide receiver, headlined by Justin Jefferson and rising Sophomore Ja’Marr Chase. The odds of Marshall thriving statistically are slim, but the LSU passing game showed promise with Joe Burrow under center. If Marshall continues to develop physically without losing his athletic ability, he could set himself up to be a player in the 2021 receiver class.

68. Bru McCoy, WR USC Trojans (2022 Eligible)

The Skinny: Bru McCoy looks to be back at USC… at least for now. I won’t begrudge an 18-year-old for having second thoughts about a major decision in their life, but the saga has been enough for me to drop McCoy considerably in the rankings. I am not a big fan of unknowns, and I’d expect McCoy now has to sit out a season before joining a program in turmoil.

On the field, McCoy is a man amongst boys, utilizing his brutish strength to manhandle defenders; it is the same strength which led many to feel he could be a weapon as an edge rusher at the collegiate level. The physicality required to play on the edge shows up at receiver, as does the first step explosion which makes him impossible to handle at the line of scrimmage. McCoy’s a weapon wherever you line him up; the question remains whether USC can get out of its own way to develop a talent like this.

2019 Outlook: I’d expect the most recent transfer to lead to McCoy having to sit out the 2019 season. It is unfortunate, as despite the Trojans’ depth at receiver, McCoy could have pushed for reps given his college-ready frame and skills.

67. Jafar Armstrong, RB Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Skinny: With a tall, lithe frame, Jafar Armstrong looks every bit the wide receiver he was in high school. Yet the Fighting Irish felt Armstrong’s best fit was at running back, and Armstrong rewarded the staff with a strong start to the season prior to missing time with a knee injury, never quite looking the same thereafter.

In the Irish’s opening games, Armstrong showed off sprinter speed and an innate feel for the running game which belies his lack of experience. His background as a receiver proved a bonus, as Armstrong piled up 12 receptions for 151 yards in the season’s first five games, establishing himself as a breakout all-purpose star. The knee injury lingered and essentially prevented us from seeing Armstrong at full strength over the season’s latter half, but the flashes were enough to place Armstrong firmly on the devy radar.

2019 Outlook: Armstrong is poised to share the backfield with Tony Jones Jr., which is no big thing given how active Armstrong figures to be in the passing game. Especially with Ian Book emerging as a legitimate threat under center, Armstrong looks poised to have a strong 2019 campaign.

66. Shaun Shivers, RB Auburn Tigers (2021 Eligible)

The Skinny: For all their offensive struggles, Auburn has an enticing set of skill position players. Standing at only 5’8” and 180 pounds, Shivers is the most diminutive of them all yet possibly the most exciting.

Shivers is a former track star who is more than just the proverbial lightning in a bottle; his compact frame allows him to bring the violence the defenders as he churns for extra yards. An electric space player with an aggressive and fearless mentality, Shivers is a joy to watch and should terrorize the SEC in the coming seasons.

2019 Outlook: Auburn brings back breakout star JaTarvius Whitlow and veteran Kam Martin, though Martin lost his job midway through 2018 and neither offers the unique look Shivers does. Shivers should easily surpass his 72 touches from a year ago, and his rather limited profile should expand immensely if Gus Malzahn’s return to playcalling proves to be successful.