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NFL Devy/Dynasty College Football Stock Report

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

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Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU - Class of 2023
It took him until game 5, but Quentin Johnston made sure his breakout 2022 game was worth the wait. Even though he had received just 20 targets over his first four contests, Johnston almost matched that output against Kansas alone by reeling in 14-of-17 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown in a nuclear performance from the 6'4/215 pound specimen.

I’ll lean on Brandon LeJeune’s of the Devy Dashboards’ excellent work, as he collated every target from Johnston’s breakout game against Kansas:

PFF awards Johnston with 5 MTF in the game, but forgive my lying eyes for counting twice that many broken tackles on the video above. He is absolutely impossible to bring down one-on-one in space, so HC Sonny Dykes lined him up in the slot 12 of his 35 routes, which is a stark increase from the 8 slot reps he recorded to that point. The results are self-evident, as his Kansas tape is littered with impactful slot receptions followed by Johnston stacking bodies on the way to big gains. His usage reminded me of how fellow air raid practitioner, and former USC OC, Graham Harrell would deploy fellow imposing WR Drake London last year. Quick hitches, slants and screens to QJ were a lock to go for 5-10 yards despite serving as extended handoffs. With a lack of Big wideouts at the top end of the 2023 class, Johnston is shaping up like the top option available if you want to go for size in your WR corps.

Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss - Class of 2024
When Dart and best friend TE Michael Trigg transferred to Ole Miss offensive svengali HC Lane Kiffin was expected to build a potent aerial attack around the pair and rising WR Jonathan Mingo. However, thanks to the sensational RB combo of Zach Evans and freshman Quinshon Judkins, the Rebels have instead opted to ride their backfield to five consecutive victories. Not against Vandy though, as Dart finally got to let his hair down, dialing it up for 448 passing yards, 14.0 yards per attempt and a 3-to-2 ratio. Here is a collection of all Dart’s relevant throws against the Commodores:

It was the first time Dart cracked 30 pass attempts or 215 passing yards on the year, though he has still shown improvement from last season, increasing his completion rate by 2.6% with a yards per attempt increase from 7.1-to-9.5 YPA. He has more than doubled last year’s disappointing 4.3% big time throw rate to 9.2% and leads the nation with an incredible 2% pressure-to-sack rate (one sack in 51 pressures). Dart is making subtle improvements in his game that have been obscured due to his lack of volume, but still is turning the ball over too frequently. He should be considered a high-end 2024 quarterback who could eventually land as the QB4 of his class behind Caleb/Quinn/Maye.

Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas - Class of 2024
It’s getting harder to deny Quinn Ewers’ arm talent, as he has all the tools you look for in a rocket armed pro-style leader. I put together a collection of 20 throws from his destruction of OU last weekend.

His effortless arm strength combined with a quick, smooth release allows Ewers to pop his hips and flick his wrist on a pinpoint 20-yard field-side throw while staring down a rush. There’s a reason why he was the most highly touted QB prospect since Trevor Lawrence. He is currently a consensus top-4 NFL Draft prospect, regardless of age and is probably still being undersold. It’s early, but I think I’d rather have Ewers than Caleb Williams and rank him as the 2A to Bryce Young‘s 2B right now behind Stroud. I drafted the hell out of him in the R5-7 range in my offseason CFF best balls to take advantage of the laughable conjecture regarding whether or not Hudson “Mid” Card would take the starting job from him. Quinn Ewers is a franchise QB in the making, draft him accordingly.

Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame - Class of 2023
Not only is Mayer 6'4/265 with exceptional body control and agility for his size, but the man also has a matinee idol’s chiseled jaw-line that could have him auditioning to replace Chris Evans as Captain America after his playing career ends. Here are all of his career-high 11 receptions versus BYU this weekend.

According to PFF, Mayer is the highest-graded P5 TE this year with an 88.5 offensive grade while running 66% of his routes from the slot or wide. His hands have been like vice grips, securing 8-of-11 contested targets while leading the nation with 33 receptions. He entered the season as the overall Devy/CFF co-#1 TE alongside Georgia’s Brock Bowers. Bowers’ smaller frame gives Mayer the edge for me as a long-term Devy/Dynasty asset despite an athletic profile that is above average, but not other-worldly like Kyle Pitts and his 9.66 Relative Athletic Score.

Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State - Class of 2024
It’s hard to not get overly excited about the prospect of acquiring a player with the seemingly can’t miss traits that Harrison Jr. possesses. From Bruce Feldman’s Freak List:

“Harrison is a big dude at 6-3 1/2, 206 pounds. He benched 380 pounds this offseason, doing 22 reps at 225. He clocked a blistering 3.94 pro shuttle time and did 10-9 on the broad jump. He also topped out at 23 mph on the GPS.”

Here are all of this legacy wideout’s targets against Michigan State:

Thought I’d also toss in a fun clip showcasing Harrison Jr’s athleticism:

He ranks just 51st in FBS with 46 targets, receiving 26% of Ohio State’s pass attempts, yet still leads the nation with nine touchdown receptions. Harrison Jr’s 3.33 yards per route average ranks fifth in the Power Five, as the genetically gifted wideout blazes a path to his destiny of being a first round NFL Draft selection. Harrison is my C2C/Devy/Dynasty WR1.

Stock Down

Jalen Milroe, QB Alabama - Class of 2024
A former top-100 overall recruit who was considered the 13th-best QB from the 2021 prep cycle, Milroe is billed at 6'2/212 pounds but looks like he weighs 230+ in pads due to his swole physique. His ability to escape pressure and turn broken plays into highlight reel runs illustrates his dual-threat bonafides which have boosted him up the 2024 class rankings. While Milroe’s tantalizing athleticism has him deservedly on NFL radars, will he ultimately settle at quarterback or transition to a hybrid role as we’ve seen several former successful college QBs do in recent years? I charted every throw he made against Texas A&M this week and cut them up in the video below:

Milroe was 12-of-19 for 111 yards and a 3-to-1 ratio following a conservative game script where he curiously threw just one of his 19 passes to the left side of the field, and even that was a screen thrown behind the line of scrimmage. He makes a few good rhythm throws but also shows inconsistent ball placement while also making a few throws that could have easily been intercepted and fumbling twice. As noted in the tweet above he has thrown just three passes 20+ yards downfield this year, going 0-3 with two interceptions. He hasn’t been much better on intermediate throws either, going 4-13 on passes between 10-19 yards. While I’m still interested in Milroe as an overall talent, it’s important to view his QB potential with skepticism at this point in his still developing career.

Kendall Milton, RB, Georgia - Class of 2023
Milton spent his first two seasons as the understudy to eventually replace Zamir White as UGA’s between the tackles two-down thumper alongside passing-down back Kenny McIntosh. A former high four-star RB who was rated as the 7th best tailback from the 2020 class, Milton is certainly built for the role at a stocky 6'1/220. The season started out with promise as Milton rushed nine times for 68 yards and two touchdowns in an opening week blowout of Oregon. The prevailing line of thought was the game was out of hand so Milton got an early breather. However he failed to cross 10 carries in his next three games as the role of Daijun Edwards grew. Over the past two games, Edwards has out-carried Milton 24-to-10 with Edwards pumping in four touchdowns. Now Milton is banged up, having exited Saturday’s game against Auburn. With the third-year tailback already losing market share to a less-heralded recruit that is outperforming him, and with a successor in Branson Robinson performing well in his limited action, it’s time to hedge your Kendall Milton bets.

Freshman Phenoms

Branson Robinson, RB, Georgia - Class of 2025
As mentioned above, highly touted true freshman Branson Robinson (5'10/220) received limited snaps over his first four games, carrying 14 times for 67 yards in the early going. Fortune dictated Robinson would receive the heaviest workload of his career, as Kendall Milton went down after three carries. Robinson thrived in his first extended game action, carrying 12 times for 98 yards, 8.2 YPA and a touchdown while averaging 3.83 yards after contact. Cory P. threw together a nice compilation of his runs versus Auburn this Saturday:

Robinson runs like a bull on the interior, picking up tough yards while also patiently waiting for his blocks to develop before bursting through the line. He moves fluidly reading his blocks on the toss left, then explodes through two tacklers into the end zone. Those three defensive backs wanted no part of taking on Robinson. Robinson carried a lot of preseason hype coming into training camp, but Andrew Paul was also in the mix so expectations were somewhat tempered. However when Paul went down with an injury, all of those snaps are now going to Robinson who is thriving. Robinson is right behind Penn State phenom Nicholas Singleton and Ole Miss RB Quinson Judkins in the 2025 RB pecking order.

Evan Stewart, WR, Alabama - Class of 2025
The #2 rated five-star freshman wide receiver was considered the 11th-best overall player in the nation, carrying a near perfect .9940 247Sports Composite player rating. After five collegiate games, it’s now evident what the recruiting services saw in Stewart as the fledgling wunderkind put on a show against Alabama this Saturday catching 8-of-15 passes for 100 yards against the vaunted Tide defense. Here are several of his targets in the contest:

Stewart leads all Power Five Class of 2025 wideouts in targets with 48 and while his 54% catch rate isn’t ideal, he’s also dealing with instability at the quarterback position and with the overall scheme as HC Jimbo Fisher is being savaged for his play calling in the media. In addition to his incredible ball skills, Stewart ran a blistering 10.56 100-Meters in high school. If it weren’t for Missouri superstar Luther Burden, Stewart would likely be the top rated 2025 receiver.