This is a guest contribution from Jordan McNamara, UTH Subscriber. Thanks for sharing your talents and perspective, Jordan.
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In reviewing Chad Parsons’ wide receiver devy rankings, I found some players to monitor in devy over the first month of the season. Below are the players to watch film early in the season, seeing how they develop in new roles in 2016.
Steve Ishmael WR Syracuse (6’2”, 210, Junior, DOB July 1995)
Steve Ishmael broke out at the age of 19 with a dominator rating (DR) of 34% in his true freshman year in 2014. He followed that up with a DR of 33% in his sophomore year. Syracuse has a revamped offense after hiring former Bowling Green Head Coach Dino Babers. Babers is from the Art Briles coaching tree which has produced multiple receivers who were NFL draft picks over the past four years. Ishmael has not received much buzz in devy circles because he has put up strong market share numbers in low volume offenses, but he is worth monitoring as additional volume at these MS numbers, his devy stock could pop.
Jehu Chesson WR Michigan (6’3”, 207, Redshirt Senior, DOB 12/29/1993)
Jehu Chesson turned in a late breakout during his Junior season at the age of 21 with a DR of 34%. There are two ways to look at Chesson. One is he is a late bloomer who only produced at an older age against younger competition. The second is he was miscast under former coach Brady Hoke and finally put in positions to succeed by new coach Jim Harbaugh. I have seen him impress in some initial tape review, but for me to trust him as a pro prospect I want to see him post a dominator rating in the high 30s this season. He will be 23 during the NFL draft so I need to see him dominate over his senior season to feel comfortable with his devy stock and NFL draft stock.
Trent Sherfield WR Vanderbilt (6’2”, 200, Junior)
Trent Sherfield took a big jump to a 30% DR in his sophomore season after one catch in his freshman season. Sherfield was a converted high school quarterback, so I am not holding his minimal input at wide receiver in his freshman year against him. I am looking forward to seeing how Sherfield matures in a receiver this year. At 6’2” with a productive true sophomore season as a position convert signals to monitor Sherfield closely early in the college season.
Christian Kirk WR Texas A & M (5’11”, 200, Sophomore)
Christian Kirk was a top-5 wide receiver in the 2015 high school class. He lived up to the pedigree with a 29% DR in his true freshman season while breaking the 1000-yard mark. In 2015, Texas A&M had three different starting quarterbacks, including both Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, who transferred in the offseason. Kirk will be working with transfer Trevor Knight, his fourth starting quarterback during his college career. I am concerned about the stability of Texas A&M as a whole, but Kirk’s market share should continue to improve, even if instability hurts the offense’s aggregate numbers over the next 12 to 24 months. With Kirk’s talent and pedigree, the perception of instability at Texas A&M may actually make Kirk a value in devy.
Fred Ross WR Mississippi St. (6’2”, 207, Senior)
Fred Ross had surgery on his groin in the spring, forcing him to miss spring practice. Ross will be a senior in 2016 and will be the leader of the receiving corps with De’Runnya Wilson entering the draft after the 2015 season. Ross had a career-high market share of 24.7% DR in 2015. What I find most concerning about Ross’ 2015 season was his MS of yards (30.7%) and touchdowns (18.7%) were so outpaced by his receptions (36.1%). Ross’s receptions were inefficient as he had 11.4 yards per reception and his TD MS was half his reception MS. Ross is worth monitoring as the leading target at Mississippi St., but I am skeptical he turns his senior season into a dominant season.
