This is a series where we are going to spotlight some NCAA prospects from some of the big teams to highlight potential players to draft on your Dynasty Teams come Spring of 2022 and some guys to keep an eye on for your Devy teams or your Dynasty Teams a few years out from now. I covered Ohio State here and next up are the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Dynasty prospects
John Metchie III – Wide Receiver – Junior
John Metchie III is 6-0, 195-pounds. He posted a 17.0 percent College Dominator Rating (15th-percentile) last year on 55 receptions, 916 yards, and six touchdowns. Most mock drafts have him going in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft next year right now. With the departures of Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith, it is Metchie who will play the X receiver role in the Alabama Offense this year. While his raw numbers from 2020 look good, he has not broken out yet. In Week 1 against the Miami Hurricanes, Metchie caught six of seven targets for 76 of the team’s 354 receiving yards, and one of the team’s four receiving touchdowns.
Coming out of high school, he was the No. 40 wide receiver recruit in his recruiting class according to 247sports.com. Watching his production in the context of Dominator and Target Share is warranted this season.
Jahleel Billingsley – Tight End – Junior
6-3, 230-pounds, and a great athletic profile are what has Billingsley projected to be a second or third-round draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has a College Dominator of 6.6 percent (9th-percentile) and his College YPR is 12.0 (34th-percentile). He was a four-star recruit and the No. 11 tight end coming out of high school according to 247sports.com. The red flag for Billingsley right now is that he is apparently not in good favor with the coaching staff at Alabama. As a result, he is not starting, he hasn’t caught a pass. His playing time and draft stock are something to monitor.
Brian Robinson Jr. – Running Back – Senior (Redshirt)
Robinson stands at 6-1 and weighs 228 pounds with a 30.1 BMI (49th-percentile). After playing behind guys such as Damien Williams, Josh Jacobs, and Najee Harris, Robinson is now stepping into a starting role in 2021. With a March birthday, Robinson will be 23 years old come the 2022 NFL Draft. He did not enter the 2021 NFL Draft, which tells me that he either would have been a late-round pick or possibly undrafted. This season is crucial for his NFL Draft chances in 2022. In Week 1 against the Miami Hurricanes, Robinson led the team with 12 rushing attempts out of the team’s 38, for 60 of the team’s 137 rushing yards. Coming out of high school, he was the No. 8 running back recruit in his class according to 247sports.com. At the moment, he is someone off my dynasty radar but someone to watch and see. His age is a red flag, along with never seizing a larger share of work when the team had other NFL talent in the backfield.
Trey Sanders – Running Back – Junior (Redshirt)
Sanders is 6-0, 214-pounds and was the No. 1 rated running back in the 2019 recruiting class according to 247sports.com. As is the case in these programs, he has been buried in the depth charts at the position. Last year, he had 30 rushes for 134 yards in four games. This year, he is looking to have more of a role in the offense. In Week 1 against the Miami Hurricanes, Sanders had 8 of the team’s 38 rushes for 41 yards and the sole rushing touchdown on the day. In 2020, he was injured in a car accident that was said to be as bad as Tua’s hip injury and he missed 2019 due to a foot injury. This is a player I am rooting for to have a good college career, but am staying away from in terms of drafting until we know much more about his health and how he looks this season.
Jameson Williams – Wide Receiver – Junior (Transfer from Ohio State)
At 6-2, 189-pounds and producing the first two games of the year, Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams is someone to have on our radar. Against Miami, he caught four passes for 126 yards and one touchdown in Week 1. He accounted for 36-percent of the receiving production and 25-percent of the receiving touchdowns. In Week 2 against Mercer, he caught three passes for 31 yards and one touchdown. He is the starting Z receiver. Coming out of the 2019 class, he was a four-star recruit and the No. 13 wide receiver in the 2019 class according to 247sports.com. As outlined in the Ohio State Preview, their wide-receiver room is so loaded, it looks like he’s found a home at Alabama.
Devy prospects
Bryce Young – Quarterback – Sophomore
Jase McClellan – Running Back – Sophomore
Agiye Hall – Wide Receiver – Freshman
Hall was the No. 5 recruit in the 2021 class according to 247sports.com. He stands at 6-3 and 195-pounds, he ran a 4.5 40-yard dash in high school. He backs up John Metchie III at the X receiver position. Week 1 against Miami, he caught one pass for 10 yards. He did not log any catches in Week 2 against Mercer. He is projected to be a future early draft pick.
Jacorey Brooks – Wide Receiver – Freshman
At 6-3, 190-pounds, Jacorey Brooks was the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting class according to 247sports.com. He ran a 4.83 40-yard dash in high school and a number he will have to improve upon over the next few years.
Camar Wheaton – Running Back – Freshmen
5-11, 190-pounds, a five-star prospect, Camar Wheaton was the No. 3 running back in the 2021 recruiting class according to 247sports.com. He projects as a future second or third-round pick.
Jojo Earle – Wide Receiver – Freshman
Standing at 5-9.5, 170-pounds, Jojo Earle was the No. 6 wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting class according to 247sports.com. Week 1 against Miami, Earle caught two passes for 25 yards and Week 2 against mercer he caught seven passes for 85 yards. He backs up Slade Bolden at the H receiver position.
Christian Leary – Wide Receiver – Freshman
At 5-10, 185-pounds, Christian Leary was the No. 10 wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting class according to 247sports.com. He is buried on the depth chart but someone to keep an eye on in future years.
Roydell Williams – Running Back – Sophomore
At 5-9 and 202-pounds, Roydell Williams was the No. 9 running back in the 2020 recruiting class according to 247sports.com. In Week 1, he had six rushing attempts for 18 yards. In Week 2 he had four rushing attempts for 11 yards. He is third or fourth in the pecking order for carries. Coming out of high school, it was believed he had second or third-round NFL draft potential.
Jalen Milroe – Quarterback – Freshmen
Standing at 6-2, 201-pounds, Jalen Milroe was the No. 13 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class. He currently sits third on the depth chart, and we are unlikely to see him play this year. He has NFL Draft potential but isn’t the high-level prospect Bryce Young is.
Traeshon Holden – Wide Receiver – Sophomore
At 6-3 and 195-pounds, Traeshon Holden was a 4-star recruit coming out of the 2020 recruiting class. He backs up Jameson Williams at the Z receiving position. He has caught 3 passes for 43 yards on the season thus far. He is not someone that is on the radar for the NFL and not someone I am looking at in Devy leagues.
Recap/takeaways
There are a lot of new faces at Alabama with previous back-ups stepping up into starting roles. John Metchie III, Brian Robinson Jr., and Jahleel Billingsley are the three main prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft. They all have their question marks either by the on-field production or lack thereof; Neither Metchie nor Billingsley have broken out and targets are very well spread out among the team so far in the early going. Brian Robinson Jr. is the lead back, but he is not garnering the touches Najee Harris did. On the other hand, Alabama has played in two blowout games.
I am going to be very interested in seeing how the receiving share and carry share shake out at Alabama as they get deeper into the season and play tougher opponents.