Devy Wrap-Up: Week Nine
There was a ton of action from the Big Ten in week nine. We started things off with a heavyweight matchup between Michigan and Michigan State. This game went down to the wire. When everything was said and done, Michigan State earned the bragging rights of being the best team from the Great Lakes Peninsula, by squeaking by the Wolverines 37-33.
The nightcap had Ohio State and Penn State battling it out in Columbus. By the end of the night, the Buckeyes were too much as they left the Horseshoe beating the Nittany Lions 33-24. Iowa suffered another upset, losing to Wisconsin 27-7.
The SEC also had a primetime matchup between tenth-ranked Ole Miss and 18th-ranked Auburn. Heisman candidate Matt Corral did not have his best performance in this contest, completing 21 of his 37 pass attempts for 289 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception while also rushing ten times for 45 yards and a touchdown. Auburn was able to get the win, 31-20 and they are now second in the SEC West behind Alabama.
A lot happened in week nine. We saw some great performances from some of our favorite devy assets. With that being said, let’s look at some of the top devy prospects from last weekend.
QUARTERBACK
Caleb Williams, Oklahoma
Williams has quickly transitioned into one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Against Texas Tech, he completed 23 of his 30 pass attempts for 402 yards and six touchdowns. This was his first contest where he relied mostly on his arm and not his rushing ability as we saw him carry the ball just five times for three yards. This was good to see since we already know he can burn defenses on the ground. Williams being able to completely neutralizing an opposing defense with his passing attack proves he’s more than a one-dimensional quarterback. Look for him to compete for a Heisman trophy sometime during his career.
Kenny Pickett, Pitt
Pickett is the Stone Cold Steve Austin of quarterback prospects. He tosses dimes and talks about getting cold ones in interviews after his games. Pickett threaded the needle on a few of his passes in this game. In a losing effort, he was able to pass for 519 yards and three touchdowns while also tossing two interceptions. It was a performance where he made a few big plays while also making some mistakes. Nonetheless, he is still considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Carson Strong, Nevada
Strong took advantage of UNLV’s defense by slicing them for 417 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 37 of his 49 pass attempts. We should expect him to be one of the top quarterbacks drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has a strong arm with excellent ball placement. It’s going to be interesting to see how he stacks up against some of the other top-tier prospects next draft season.
RUNNING BACK
Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State
Walker put the entire Michigan State team on his back on Saturday when he rushed for 197 yards and five touchdowns to beat Michigan 37-33. One thing that still sticks out in his game is his ability to read the momentum of the players around him, making it easier for him to time his cuts and find the rushing lanes. We also see him play cat and mouse with linebackers during his approach to the line of scrimmage which allows him to hit the hole unscathed. This performance might have been his “Heisman moment” as he clearly dominated the Wolverines.
Tank Bigsby, Auburn
We saw the Tank rush for 140 yards and one touchdown against Ole Miss last weekend. This was his first 100-yard performance since week three against Penn State. He has 526 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the season. It’s easy to say he’s one of the best pure rushers in all of college football. His 21 receptions in 18 games are a red flag to his PPR potential at the next level. Overall, he’s a stud running back who will be a first-round rookie pick in 2023.
Breece Hall, Iowa State
Hall, who has been considered a top-end devy prospect throughout his career, had a good performance against West Virginia in week nine. He carried the rock 24 times for 167 yards and one touchdown. This was his fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season. He also had one of the greatest carries of his career when he jetted past the defense for an electrifying 83-yard touchdown run. Even with a quiet 2021 campaign, Hall is still expected to be one of the top running backs in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State
Vaughn is our generation’s, Darren Sproles. He can be elusive in a phone booth. The sophomore running back had another stellar game against TCU, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns. His usage in the passing game is what makes devy gamers excited about his prospect profile. So far on the season, he has caught 32 passes for 351 and three touchdowns.
Will Shipley, Clemson
Clemson has not looked good this year, causing Shipley, the former five-star running back prospect, to go unnoticed. In his week nine contest against the Florida State, he carried the ball 25 times for 128 yards and two scores while also catching four passes for 24 yards. This was the first 100-yard performance of his career. He currently has 391 yards and seven touchdowns on the season.
Sean Tucker, Syracuse
Tucker is continuing to be an unstoppable beast. He had another impressive outing when he suited up against Boston College to rush for 207 yards and one touchdown. He has seven straight 100-yard performances and has 1,267 yards and 11 touchdowns with three games left on the schedule.
Leddie Brown, West Virginia
Against Iowa State, we saw Brown carry the Mountaineers to a 38-31 victory by rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 25 yards. We don’t have him ranked in DLF’s devy rankings. However, I suspect he will be a popular late-round prospect in next year’s NFL Draft.
WIDE RECEIVER
Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
Mims is experiencing an off-and-on sophomore season. He had a big game against Texas Tech, catching four balls for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Mims is currently the WR12 in DLF’s Devy wide receiver rankings. He is eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft and there’s plenty of time for him to build a rapport with Caleb Williams to pump up his draft stock.
Jordan Addison, Pitt
Addison has ball skills for days. If it wasn’t for him, we might not be talking about Kenny Pickett as a first-round prospect. We saw Addison put together another good performance against Miami by catching eight passes for 145 yards. This was his fourth 100-yard game, and he already has ten touchdowns on the season. He will be eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Drake London, USC
London was on pace to have another stellar performance before a devastating leg injury that caused him to get carted off the field prematurely ended his day. He did have nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns. I fear this might be the last time we see him in a USC uniform. More than likely, he’s going to spend the rest of the season rehabbing from this injury to prepare for the draft. He has done everything he needed to do at the college level and he’s ready to take the next step in his career.
David Bell, Purdue
Bell is one of the most slept on talents in college football. He has a cult following on social media and with good reason. He is one of the top pass-catchers in college football. In his contest against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, he caught nine passes for 74 yards, owning a 31.76 percent market share of Purdue’s passing production.
Khalil Shakir, Boise State
Shakir is easily one of the most underrated wide receiver prospects in the nation. He has tremendous ball skills and can make things happen in the open field. In week nine, he led the Broncos in receiving, catching nine balls for 118 yards. He also had seven carries for 43 yards. He is eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft where he is projected to be a mid-late round selection.
Tight End
Trey McBride, Colorado State
McBride is the TE1 in Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft. He has a 38.75 percent market share of Colorado State’s passing production which is rare for a tight end. We saw him lead the Rams in receiving again in week nine against Boise State by catching ten passes for 103 yards. The team’s passing production is fueled through McBride, making him a very interesting devy option for the tight-end position.
Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina
Nesbit is a 6-foot-6 and 245-pound tight end prospect who devy managers need to monitor over the next few seasons. He had the best game of his career against Notre Dame by catching three passes for 50 yards. The former four-star prospect is a very talented tight end who could develop into something special.
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