Devy 100: 40-36

Rob Willette

The tagline here at DLF is telling: There is no off-season. The edict goes double for devy leagues. From the initial Signing Day in December through fall camps in August, there is an overwhelming amount of information to digest in order to make an informed decision. It is what makes it such a challenge yet so rewarding when a prospect you have invested in for years pays off.

The Devy 100 is intended to be a preliminary deep dive into the best dynasty assets college football has to offer. Even with a list this large, there will surely be omissions and plenty of movement throughout the year as players develop a more robust profile. This is not to hedge my bets (well – maybe a tad) but to illustrate the purpose of such a list. Alas, we get to the 100. Feel free to @RobWillette24 with your hate mail, which I will assuredly ignore.

40: CJ Verdell, RB Oregon Ducks (2021 Draft Eligible)

Profile: You’d be hard-pressed to find many backs better-rounded than Verdell. He is a compact, tough runner who can deliver for an offense in any facet of the game. While perhaps not an elite athlete, Verdell shows more than enough juice to toy with Pac-12 defenders and glide through the line of scrimmage.

An aggressive tough runner with soft hands and the ability to run routes like a slot receiver, Verdell has a versatile skill-set teams covet. While perhaps not the type of elite talent who can breach day one, he is a day two prospect who can immediately assist in a backfield.

2020/2021 Outlook: You can make an argument Verdell is one of the players most impacted by a canceled/truncated 2020 season. Following an impressive 2019 season that built on a strong 2018 campaign, Verdell was poised to be a focal point of the Ducks’ offense, especially with Justin Herbert moving on. Instead, he has to rest on his first two seasons’ worth of tape, or return in 2021.

39: Trey Sermon, RB Ohio State Buckeyes (2021 Draft Eligible)

Profile: In terms of differences in play from one year to another, Sermon reminds me of JK Dobbins. After a sluggish – by top prospect standards – sophomore campaign, Dobbins looked like a different runner as a junior, cementing himself as a top prospect and a second-round pick. Sermon flipped the script, looking like an ascending star in his sophomore campaign prior to failing to establish himself in the Sooner backfield as a junior.

At his best, Sermon is a rugged back who takes the fight to the defense and presses for extra yards with physicality and light feet. Those traits were conspicuously absent in 2019, as Sermon looked more hesitant with some scatback tendencies. The guess here is like Dobbins, there was an injury lingering which impacted his play. This ranking is a belief his sophomore season is the true measure of his talent.

2020/2021 Outlook: The dominoes have simply not fallen Sermon’s way this off-season. The postponement of Big 10 football followed by the opt-out decision of former teammate Kennedy Brooks at Oklahoma is a one-two gut punch for a talented player who needed to get back on the field to remind everyone of how good he can be. Sermon may still declare for the 2021 Draft, though a day three pick appears to be the safe bet given all the variables at play.

38: Dyami Brown, WR North Carolina Tar Heels (2021 Draft Eligible)

Profile: The preferred toy of breakout freshman Sam Howell, Brown thrived in the new-look North Carolina offense. Tall, lean, and long, he was explosive in the vertical game, averaging over 20 yards per grab and showcasing tremendous ball skills in the process.

Brown is a smooth strider who makes the game look easy, and he took advantage of a golden opportunity to become one of the nation’s most explosive weapons.

2020/2021 Outlook: As of now, ACC football is still on. It is a good thing for the Tar Heels, who are an ascending program under Mack Brown. Dyami Brown is one of the big reasons, and returns as the alpha in this offense despite a deep receiver depth chart.

37: Elijah Moore, WR Ole Miss Runnin’ Rebels (2021 Draft Eligible)

Profile: Perhaps best known for his late-game antics in the Rebels bitter rivalry game with Mississippi State, Moore is an excellent prospect currently being overlooked. At 5’9” and 184 pounds, he is going to get knocked for being undersized but he does what you’d hope players his size do: win with quickness and acceleration in the open field.

Moore departs the line of scrimmage in a hurry and puts defenders on skates’ early, embarrassing players in the slot with his slipperiness. He was able to carve out a role as a freshman despite sharing the field with DK Metcalf, AJ Brown, and Van Jefferson, and dominated looks as a sophomore. He has hit all the metrics required for the analytics crowd and should have plenty to offer the film crowd as well.

2020/2021 Outlook: Little should change for Moore in 2020, as he the clear best option in the passing game. Ole Miss has quarterback uncertainty, but it did not matter for Moore in 2019 and he is set to be one of the SEC’s elite playmakers.

36: DJ Williams, RB Auburn Tigers (2022 Draft Eligible)

Profile: There’s little flashy about Williams’ game. He is a north-south runner who just does everything well enough to excel in SEC play. Despite a crowded depth chart, Williams was able to put together a credible freshman season despite not being a full-time running back in high school.

At 5’10” and 216 pounds, he is a solidly built runner who can easily eschew arm tackles and finish runs with panache. He wastes little time picking his spots, planting his foot in the ground and exploding to the second-level. Williams is an intriguing talent given the depth of his skills, and it is fair to wonder if this is only the beginning given his lack of experience at the high school level at his current position.

2020/2021 Outlook: JaTarvious Whitlow transferred, though Williams still has plenty of competition. True freshman Tank Bigsby is a gifted runner capable of pushing for the starting gig if Williams plateaus. Williams is the odds-on favorite to lead this Auburn team in carries, though there are no guarantees.

rob willette