Stock Up:
Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida - Class of 2023
The polls have closed and the votes have been tallied with Anthony Richardson (6'3/234) being named as the winner of Week 1 with his eye opening performance against Utah. Whether it was showing off his strong arm, extending plays or breaking tackles, Richardson has proven worthy of being mentioned alongside the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 class.
On this sequence, he somehow evades two rushers then delivers a strike on a dead run that was unfortunately broken up. Plays like this have scouts across the country drooling.
It’s an incomplete pass… but holy smokes, man. I’m getting tired just thinking about trying to defend Anthony Richardson. pic.twitter.com/1N6GXSVGzk
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) September 6, 2022
Any recap of Richardson’s day would be incomplete without his supernatural two-point conversion to put the Gators up three in the fourth quarter.
Absolutely ridiculous from Anthony Richardson 🔥
— Kevin (@Daboys_22) September 4, 2022
pic.twitter.com/7cFOkWRgOX
Richardson’s standout 2022 debut has NFL Draftniks frantically adjusting their draft boards where he is now firmly a part of the CJ Stroud/Will Levis/Bryce Young upper tier of 2023 quarterbacks. I currently slot him right behind Bryce Young and CJ Stroud who struggled a bit with his ball placement against Notre Dame.
Raheim Sanders, RB, Arkansas - Class of 2024
Perhaps my favorite running back performance of this weekend was the hard charging tailback for Arkansas, Rocket Sanders. At a jacked 6'2/225, the sophomore sensation impressed me in all phases of the game, displaying unnatural acceleration from a back his size while also having the power and contact balance to blast through arm tackles. Look at Sanders’ acceleration as he patiently bounces this carry outside and shoots through the opening created by a textbook block from the receiver.
#Arkansas RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders is going to be one of the better backs in the country this season, with contact balance and speed in the open field.
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) September 3, 2022
The former receiver is a natural two-threat out of the backfield too. pic.twitter.com/TollJ3fp1X
A former receiver in high school who was rated as the 14th overall athlete from the 2021 freshman class, Sanders makes an acrobatic catch on this sideline route while securing the ball through hard contact with the ground.
Arkansas RB #5 Raheim Sanders makes a really nice catch against the sideline, but gets pushed out of bounds in mid-air by Cincinnati CB #5 Ja'quan Sheppard. Fantastic effort by Sheppard for the PBU! pic.twitter.com/2Ftan70gP8
— Fed Scivittaro (@FedScivittaro) September 3, 2022
The sophomore split time as a true freshman last year as Arkansas HC Sam Pittman wanted to allow him a year to adjust to the pace of the SEC West before piling a full complement of snaps upon him. His 20 carries against Cincinnati are the highest workload of his career and if Saturday is any indication we are going to be seeing a lot of Mr. Sanders’ highlights this fall. Heading into this week, Sanders was being ranked in the class of 2024 RB4-6 range by the Devy community. I’m moving up Sanders to RB3 in my 2024 rankings ahead of Will Shipley and Donovan Edwards, but behind TreVeyon Henderson and Braelon Allen...For now. I see shades of past Arkansas great Darren McFadden in the way Sanders runs, sorry for the uniform comp but I can’t help it.
Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss - Class of 2023
While Evans’ 20 carries and 130 yards against the Troy Trojans doesn’t seem like a big deal for a running back who averaged 7.3 yards per carry and 4.84 yards after contact last year, it’s important to note that Evans hit the 20 carry mark just once in his previous two seasons at TCU.
The former five-star recruit hits the second level and bursts through a small gap that closes the instant he goes between the converging tacklers.
Zach Evans is going to be fun this year for Ole Miss 💪 pic.twitter.com/ugsXUv2w1w
— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CarpentierNFL) September 3, 2022
Now look at his smooth hips as he weaves his way down the sideline for a nice chunk run. It’s not hard to see what got everyone so excited watching his high school tape, and he’s moving like this at 215.
I’ve watched Ole Miss RB Zach Evans for three years now and he’s in the best shape of his playing career. If he can stay healthy he’ll be among the top 5 best backs in the country. pic.twitter.com/Iii1DmCzFG
— Kevin (@Daboys_22) September 4, 2022
Evans (6'0/215) had a rollercoaster initial recruiting experience, and though he has been tantalizing in small doses, was never able to truly flourish at TCU. Now he’s playing under Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin who has no problem with riding his star players to victory when needed. QB Matt Corral found that lesson against Tennessee last year when Kiffin ran his 6'1/205 signal caller 30 times, and almost into an early grave, to secure a dramatic 31-26 victory over the Vols. If Evans can prove capable of handling a 20 carry per game workload in the SEC West, he will likely solidify himself at the consensus 2023 RB2 behind Texas’ uber-prospect - Bijan Robinson.
Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse - Class of 2023
Last year, under now jettisoned OC Sterling Gilbert, Syracuse all but abandoned their passing game instead employing a power-run system that leaned heavily on Tucker and battering ram QB Garrett Shrader (6'4/228). This year former UVA OC Robert Anae took over and wasted no time implementing his more pass-oriented offense, with Tucker utilized prominently out of the backfield, catching all six of his targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. The following highlight shows what Tucker is capable of when game-planned touches in the passing game.
Sean Tucker 55 yards to the house! 🍊#PL34SED
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) September 4, 2022
📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/HMGIubckDv
He also rushed 21 times for 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but that’s to be expected after Tucker recorded nine 100-yard games in 12 contests while racking up an impressive 4.1 yards after contact, which ranks fifth among returning rushers. His receiving performance was important because he simply hadn’t shown NFL-level receiving acumen, catching 26-of-42 targets with five drops in his first two college campaigns while sporting a disappointing PFF receiving grade of 54.4 last year. Outside of the fact Syracuse hasn’t been a fertile running backs recruiting ground since former RB/FB Rob Konrad was drafted by the Miami Dolphins 24 years ago, if there were any pressing concerns about Tucker it was his ability to be a three down, all-purpose weapon. He’s now going to get the opportunity to lay down some quality receiving tape before the year is over which can only help his evaluation. Tucker is currently being ranked solidly in the RB4-7 range from the 2023 NFL Draft class.
Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M - Class of 2023
Smith endured some legal troubles in the offseason, but he has been cleared to play by Texas A&M HC Jimbo Fisher and made the most of his opening game opportunities. While he had a down year in 2021, he was somewhat a byproduct of a listless Texas A&M offense that was being led by Auburn’s third-string quarterback, Zach Calzada. Ainias still has the goods though, and now that he has a competent quarterback in Haynes King, Smith could be in for a big season and a potential boost in draft capital. On this catch Smith runs right up the middle of the field from the slot, fending off a converging safety until a well-timed block from his teammate sprung him loose for the 66-yard score.
This is maybe the most under talked about player in the SEC.
— John Vogel (@DraftVogel) September 4, 2022
Ainias Smith is an electric playmaker. He can make catches through contact and is that hybrid RB/WR that NFL teams are starting to utilize a lot across the league. pic.twitter.com/G5Ov8VcIjQ
However his best play was this dazzling sideline catch on a well thrown, tight window ball from Haynes King:
Texas A&M’s Ainias Smith (@ainias_smith) mosses the Sam Houston corner for the sick catch. 🏹#CFB pic.twitter.com/WfkNxYMGl8
— Upside Play (@TheUpsidePlay) September 3, 2022
Smith has been an interesting evaluation from a Devy standpoint, as i’ve seen him ranked in the top-15 of 2023 draft eligible wideouts for his versatility. In 2020 he served as a hybrid slot receiver/running back, rushing 49 times for 293 yards, 6.0 yards per carry and four touchdowns before shifting to the slot full time last year. With Smith already having logged three carries in two games this year, he could see his backfield role expanded to a lesser version of 2020. Though Smith isn’t a household name, a season filled with explosive plays and acrobatic receptions could see him garner third-to-fourth round draft capital if his off-field problems are behind him.
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Stock Down
DJ Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson - Class of 2023
Sorry, no highlights to speak of from DJU against Georgia Tech, as the rumors of his offseason revival proved to be unsubstantiated on Monday evening against one of the worst Power Five programs in the country. Sure, Clemson destroyed the Yellowjackets 41-10, but DJU completed just 59% of his throws with 6.5 yards per attempt and a long completion of 28 yards. His decision making was shaky and his ball placement was erratic. Then Cade Klubnik came in and led the Tigers right down the field for a score like he was born to do it. Check out that pump-and-go down the seam:
Just went back and watched the Cade Klubnik drive. Real smooth stuff. Fun to see him throw some darts. pic.twitter.com/LY3HuVARD2
— Max Olson (@max_olson) September 6, 2022
DJU won’t be removed this week because he hasn’t outright choked the job up yet. However it’s a matter of when, not if. If you have him in Devy/C2C, the time is now to salvage what you can and unload him before the clock strikes midnight on DJU’s starting quarterback tenure at Clemson.
Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU - Class of 2023
If you’re going to hit the road after Week 1, you might as well do it while crossing swords with Brian Kelly and his newfound southern accent coming off a demoralizing loss to Florida State where they missed an extra point to force OT. Boutte was conspicuously underutilized, drawing six targets on the evening, but it wasn’t exactly a personal vendetta against him when he’s dropping two passes and failing to reel in his two contested targets. While Boutte will still certainly command respect come the 2023 NFL Draft and is currently considered the co-number one receiver alongside Jaxson Smith-Njigba, this clearly wasn’t the kind of game you want to leave as your final impression for NFL scouting departments.
Will Shipley, RB, Clemson - Class of 2024
I have been much lower on Shipley from a Devy perspective than most of the draft community that has him ranked in the top-3 for 2024 tailbacks. However when I watch him run he lacks burst (29% breakaway% = 170th in FBS), has inconsistent vision that leads to him running into the backs of his linemen and isn’t particularly adept at eluding or powering through defenders as his pedestrian 23.6% broken tackle rate and 3.1 yards after contact (135th in FBS) average will attest. He’s also nothing special out of the backfield, catching just 16-of-24 targets for 116 yards with four drops for a troubling 20% drop rate.
Here is an excellent scouting breakdown from Brandon LeJeune of the Devy Dashboard breaking down Shipley’s game against Iowa State last year. He’s well worth a Twitter follow and YouTube sub for his awesome videos:
Will Shipley is considered one of the top running back assets in all of #devy football. Here I watch and comment on his last game of the season. May be overvalued. Want to scout him for yourself? Tune in.
— Brandon Lejeune (@DevyDeepDive) July 16, 2022
Watch 🎞️👇https://t.co/oeHFDqpVLO pic.twitter.com/YI8hJfD7G2
He looked ordinary to me this week against Georgia Tech, gaining 42 yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns. Shipley should be in the RB6-8 range for the class of 2024, not RB2-4.
Cam Ward, QB, Wazzu - Class of 2023
Ward was a trendy sleeper in CFF and C2C circles in the offseason when both he and his OC at Incarnate Word, Eric Morris, transferred over to Wazzu to implement OC Morris’ air-raid system. On the surface, the hype made sense, as Ward threw for 4,650 yards with a 47-to-10 ratio last year. However under further examination, Ward was effective underneath, but his accuracy absolutely cratered when dialing it up more than nine-yards downfield. He completed just 39% of his passes of 10+ yards while connecting on 82% of his short throws last season. Ward’s 63.8 passing grade with no play action was a red flag as is his 24-to-25 BTT-to-TWP rate. In a 24-17 narrow victory over FCS Idaho, Ward’s deficiencies were palpable, going 0-3 in 20+ yard throws while struggling without the benefit of play action, completing just 54% of his throws in such situations with a dreadful 46.7 PFF passing grade. I own any CFF, C2C or Devy shares of Ward and recommend sending him to the waiver wire unless you’re in C2C and are praying for a Wazzu revival at some point on the college side. His pro appeal is zero for me.
Promising underclassmen to watch out for:
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State - Class of 2024
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina - Class of 2024
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona - Class of 2025
Raleek Brown, RB, USC - Class of 2025
George Pettaway, RB, UNC - Class of 2025
