DLF May Devy Mock Draft ADP Observations

Caleb Pierson Posted On June 1, 2020

Welcome to the DLF Devy Mock Draft ADP observations. This will be an article series featuring my quick thoughts on each month’s DLF Devy ADP.

The DLF Devy ADP is compiled through three mock drafts taking place each month. Each includes a large number of DLF staff writers as well as various DLF subscribers. The best way to jump into a DLF Devy Mock is to watch for when I post asking for mockers on my Twitter, which can be found here. Without further ado, let’s jump into this!

The first thing I noticed in this month’s mocks is the group solidifying itself in the top three of almost all mocks. Purdue’s Rondale Moore and LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase find themselves at the top of the mock drafts just like we saw in April. However, this month they were joined by Minnesota Gophers wide receiver Rashod Bateman. In this past month, we saw Moore, Chase, and Bateman go in the top three in all but one mock, where the farthest any of the three dropped was four.

It is safe to say that if you are going to be drafting in any devy start-ups soon, the top three will be Moore, Chase, and Bateman in any order. And with good reason. All three check most of the analytical boxes, pass the eye test for film junkies, and are projected to be first-round picks in next year’s draft. Wide receivers seem to be the best dynasty pieces as far as longevity goes, so securing one of these three studs in your upcoming devy drafts could mean you just secured the next DeAndre Hopkins or Michael Thomas’ for your dynasty squad for years to come.

Speaking of Rashod Bateman, he was the first player to be taken at first overall ahead of Ja’Marr Chase in almost two months. It would appear that Bateman is increasing in value and gaining a lot of momentum in the devy community. One of the biggest Bateman truthers leading the hype train is DLF’s very own Kane Fossell, who has been very vocal about moving Bateman up ahead of Chase in his ranks.

Another one on the Bateman>Chase train. Someone has been listening to the most recent @DevyMarketplace. https://t.co/Ym0buu1jU8

— Kane (@Devy_Kane) May 14, 2020

It is hard to argue this either. Bateman is a fantastic route runner with good size and ball skills. He even showed that he can produce with other good players around him, putting up a 36.26% dominator rating in 2019 with teammate Tyler Johnson on the opposite side. Bateman will have every opportunity to continue to showcase his talent in 2020 with Johnson gone to the NFL. The buy-low window on Bateman is officially closed.

Quite possibly the biggest riser in this past month of mocks in Penn State running back Journey Brown. In April, Brown was taken at 24th, 19th, and 25th overall respectively. Now that the 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone and scouts begin to dig into next year’s prospects, Brown is getting a big jump in value. In May, he was taken at 14th, 14th, and ninth overall, giving him an average draft position of 12th overall. This means that he is officially in round one territory. It is easy to see why people like Brown.

The first positive is the fact he plays for a Penn State program that has seen a lot of recent success at the running back position at the NFL level from some of its past players. Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders may next be joined with Journey Brown as hot dynasty assets from Penn State. Brown is also very fun to watch on tape as he is an exciting back who uses his speed and quickness to hit big plays. Ideally, he will need to improve his pass-catching production, but if Brown takes command in the backfield this year like many hope, he should return good value at his current price.

Journey Brown… SEE YA ✌️

Brown sprints untouched into the end zone to put Penn State (-7) up 28-13. pic.twitter.com/AWFPjcyDLl

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 28, 2019

Speaking of risers, when one player rises it means another has to fall, and unfortunately for Max Borghi, he finds himself as one of the victims of the rise Brown and others. It is interesting to see him go from an April ADP of sixth overall to a May ADP of 11th overall, even falling to 17th overall in the latest May mock. So why is it that Borghi is slipping?

It is not that people are worried about him catching the ball. In the past two seasons, he has caught 139 passes for 971 yards and nine touchdowns. The concerns with him are his ability as a runner, what he does in between the tackles when he isn’t catching the ball. With a new coach in 2020, we will hopefully see him finally used as more of a runner to help us determine what Borghi’s upside really is. I still think that in the 2021 class, the race for the third running back is wide open. That means if you can acquire Borghi for any discount, you should be very interested in doing so.

Thanks for taking the time to read the debut of this new article! I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to hearing your feedback.