Stock Up
Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma - Class of 2023
Heading into his fourth season Gray’s profile was more on the periphery of 2023 NFL Draft worthy players after being beaten out by UDFA Kennedy Brooks last year and a new coaching staff in town who have no allegiance to the current OU roster. But Brooks has earned a significant role and some potential draft capital with his impressive 11-carry, 113-yard, two-touchdown performance against Nebraska.
Brandon Lejeune of the excellent Devy Dashboard collated all of Gray’s touches from Week 3, including a nice one-handed catch, in this clip:
Oklahoma RB Eric Gray carries from Saturday. 11/113/2TD
— Brandon Lejeune (@DevyDeepDive) September 19, 2022
He looks different this year. Added weight and improved play strength was on display. He always had quick feet. Stock up📈 pic.twitter.com/zc2hvNFce6
Gray is billed at 5'10/211 which is right at the 210+-ish threshold that translates well to regular work at the NFL level. His hips looked fluid with good speed while setting up downfield cuts that sprung him for chunk gains. Gray’s PFF rushing grade of 85.9 ranks ninth nationally while he’s broken 13 tackles in 37 rush attempts. If he can earn the lion’s share of carries and continue to thrive against Oklahoma’s upcoming BIg-12 schedule, Gray could push himself into the top-10 of 2023 NFL Draft Running Backs.
Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia - Class of 2024
Bowers had been relatively quiet over the first two weeks of the season, failing to record a touchdown reception despite leading all tight ends in TDs with 13 last season. His slow start is now a distant memory after the Georgia star caught all five targets for 121 yards, 24.2 yards per reception and two touchdowns in addition to cashing in a reverse for a five-yard rushing score for good measure.
#UGA TE Brock Bowers vs South Carolina:
— Steve Frederick (@SteveFrederick_) September 18, 2022
*5 Receptions
*121 Yards
*2 TD
*5-Yard Rushing TD
Bowers (6'4", 230) is one of the most electric players in the sport. His 3 TDs on Saturday showed off his elite athleticism.
#1 - End around
#2 - End-zone Fade
#3 - YAC pic.twitter.com/yP1DOoeFuh
Bowers lines up wide at the goal line and cashes in the back-sideline fade to perfection.
THIS CATCH FROM BROCK BOWERS 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Bf6FAvlz2e
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 17, 2022
Then he streaks down the seam before disposing of two defenders and showing off his long speed for the TD.
Brock Bowers might be a Kyle Pitts-level prospect when he comes out.
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) September 17, 2022
Out-of-this-world athleticism and RAC ability. If he gets space, he’s a threat to go all the way.
https://t.co/dZqCioHLUt
Bowers was just selected 10th in a recent 2024 Expert Devy Mock Draft hosted by The Devy Royale’s Kevin Coleman.
Despite his lack of the conventional height/weight dynamics of your preferred NFL tight end, Bowers has run a reported 4.49s 40-yard dash at 6'4/230 and is a legitimate high-level athlete. He’s currently the consensus co-#1 Devy/Dynasty TE alongside 2023 Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer.
Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State - Class of 2025
I know Singleton was in the Freshman Phenom section last week, but his performance against Auburn was a fully-grown at 10 carries, 124-yards and two touchdowns. The 6'0/219 prodigy was clocked at 20.9 MPH by Recruiting Analytics, the fifth fastest timed player in all of Week 2.
#CFB's Top 5 Fastest Ball Carriers from Week 2
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) September 12, 2022
5️⃣ Penn St RB Nicholas Singleton 20.9 mph@NickSingletonn x @PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/oncH3rw16t
In what may become a weekly segment, Singleton’s ability to hit another gear at the second level this week against Auburn is truly a sight to behold.
True freshman Nick Singleton after this 54-yard TD:
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 17, 2022
10 rushes
124 yards
2 TD pic.twitter.com/f0x2ozmuq9
Singleton entered the season as the consensus RB1 from the 2025 class on account of his numerous explosive plays in high school. However now he has solidified his lofty prep billing against Ohio and now an SEC defense in Auburn. Not only is he the number one running back from his class, but Singleton will likely contend with TreVeyon Henderson to determine who is the top-overall Devy/Dynasty asset in college football.
Montrell Johnson, RB, Florida - Class of 2024
Any time a player has success at the Group of Five level, there is appropriate skepticism about the player’s ability to translate his skills when he transfers to the Power Five. Last season Montrell Johnson carried 163 times for 841 yards, 5.2 YPC and 12 touchdowns under now Florida HC Billy Napier when he was running Louisiana. He only avoided 24 tackles in those 163 totes for a meager 14.7% broken tackle rate and 3.18 yards after contact, but has already improved his broken tackle rate to 30% this season and sports a solid 81.5 PFF rushing grade.
Johnson gave NFL Draftniks reason to get excited on Saturday, as the 5'11, 218-pounder extended his lead on the trailing defenders on this 62-yard score:
Montrell Johnson Jr. is off to the races for a 62 yard Florida touchdown! #CollegeFootball
— The College Experience (@TCEonSGPN) September 18, 2022
https://t.co/fgqLDRqTIh
Johnson is worth considering in the 2nd/3rd round option 2024 Devy mock drafts due to his size-speed combo and potential to perform well as a starting running back at college football’s highest level - the SEC.
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Stock Down
Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida - Class of 2023
Richardson took 2023 NFL Mock Draft boards by storm after Week 1, but his stock took a hit last week when he completed just 14-of-35 passes for 143 yards and two interceptions in a loss to Kentucky. When hiccups like that happen against a Mark Stoops coached, blitz-heavy defense, then I think it’s OK to dole out a mulligan. But after a 10-of-18, 112-yard, two-interception showing against South Florida that required a fourth-quarter comeback with 5:04 remaining in the game to secure the 31-28 victory, it’s more than appropriate to view Richardson’s draft capital with skepticism.
Here are his two interceptions on the day. Notice the poor throwing form on the first pick, then the almost casual back shoulder throw allowing the defender to cut underneath the route and would have taken the ball back for a 60+ yard return had the defender’s foot not scraped the out of bounds line:
Florida QB Anthony Richardson threw a pair of costly interceptions that hurt Florida in both points and field position vs. USF
— Eric Froton (@CFFroton) September 19, 2022
Struggling against a G5 school is not a promising sign for the aspiring 2023 NFL Draftee, especially when coming off a tough outing against Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/SYJ5SDtgN5
It’s becoming clear that Richardson has enticing physical tools and a ready-made NFL frame, but needs seasoning before we can really start projecting him as a first-round NFL Draft selection. Another year of college would do wonders for his development in my opinion.
Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami - Class of 2023
The Miami offense has regressed a bit from the 39 pass per game aerial assault former OC Rhett Lashlee unleashed on the ACC last year. OC Josh Gattis was expected to play at a more methodical pace, but the departure of dependable wideouts Charleston Rambo and Mike Harley was a glaring issue against Texas A&M this weekend, with the Hurricanes dropping 17% of their catchable targets in the 17-9 loss. Even factoring in the weaker supporting cast and talented A&M defense, this is the second straight game where Van Dyke hasn’t looked comfortable. In Week 2 against Southern Miss, he had a 2-to-3 Big Time Throw-to-TO Worthy Play rate while earning a disappointing 56.9 passing grade, which was actually lower than his similarly woeful 57.1 grade against the Aggies. There is still plenty of time for Van Dyke to right the ship this season, but with the high-stakes nature of QB recruiting, his suspect non-conference play has been troubling. He is still in the top-5 mix amongst 2023 Devy/Dynasty signal callers, but Van Dyke could use a nice showing against Middle Tennessee next Saturday or the vultures could begin to circle.
Freshman Phenoms
Dane Key, WR, Kentucky - Class of 2025
A four-star recruit who was rated as the 36th wideout in the country from the 2022 prep cycle, Key is a tall (6'3/194) athletic, smooth strider who has exceptional ball skills. In addition to his downfield receiving prowess, he has shown the ability to separate on several different routes. Here are two in particular.
They’re playing an FCS team in Youngstown State, but this is a crisply run change of direction route at any level:
Three games, three touchdowns for Dane Key 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iHA4ixfkZf
— CatsCoverage.com (@Cats_Coverage) September 17, 2022
And of course no Dane Key highlight reel is complete without his epic TD grab against Florida in the swamp:
"Touchdown to the freshman, @DaneKey6. @will_levis HOW ABOUT THAT?" - @JoeTessESPN
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 11, 2022
📺 - @ESPN 📲 - https://t.co/G4ZTknMNuv pic.twitter.com/V8FLL7Cwif
Key has already carved out a prominent niche in the Wildcats offense, catching 13-of-15 targets for an 87% catch rate, 227 yards and three touchdowns. He is the only freshman receiver to have caught a touchdown in each of the first three weeks and has taken over as Kentucky’s number one receiver as a true freshman. He’s a top-5 2025 WR on my freshman board.
CJ Donaldson, RB/TE, West Virginia - Class of 2025
Every year a freshman emerges from seemingly out of nowhere, and this year that player is CJ Donaldson of West Virginia. He entered camp as a 6'2/220 TE that was also being tried in the backfield mix. He quickly showed power and vision that led to Donaldson earning 15 snaps in West Virginia’s high-profile opener against Pitt, rushing seven times for 125 yards and a touchdown in his first career game. He then rushed 13 times for 48 yards and two scores against Kansas before taking nine carries and turning them into 101 yards with three touchdowns. His 84.5 PFF rushing grade ranks 12th overall nationally and his six total rushing touchdowns are the third-most in FBS football. He can really move for a big back as well, as on this play Donaldson jaunts 82-yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.
TO THE HOUSE‼️🙌#TOWSvsWVU pic.twitter.com/gpOCm3XwUu
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) September 17, 2022
We’re still so early in the 2025 NFL Draft projection cycle, but for Devy and especially C2C formats, Donaldson is rapidly ascending above his nondescript three-star recruiting billing.
