Riser Candidates- S/KR DeVon Edwards, Jr, Duke

DeVon Edwards

S/KR-Duke-Jr.

5-9, 175

Year     School Conf Class Pos  G Solo  Ast  Tot Loss   Sk  Int  Yds  Avg   TD   PD   FR  Yds   TD   FF
2013       Duke  ACC    FR  DB 14   37   27   64  0.5  0.0    3   78 26.0    2    6    0    0    0    0
2014       Duke  ACC    SO  DB 13   77   56  133  7.5  4.5    1   13 13.0    0    9    0    0    0    5
Career     Duke                    114   83  197  8.0  4.5    4   91 22.8    2   15    0    0    0    5

Year     School Conf Class Pos  G   KR  Yds  Avg   TD  
2013       Duke  ACC    FR  DB 14   19  574 30.2    2    
2014       Duke  ACC    SO  DB 13   29  745 25.7    1    
Career     Duke                     48 1319 27.5    3    

    DeVon Edwards tied for 2nd in sacks last season for Duke. 119 tackles ranked 2nd. 1 interception, and 5 Forced Fumbles, ranking 1st in the ACC in that category. Edwards is an all-american Kick Returner. In his 2 seasons at Duke so far, Edwards has 3 Kick Return TD's, and 4 interceptions. He is an all around beast with speed, explosion, and skill.

   Edwards is strong, and very fast despite his small size. In the Holiday Bowl, watch the clip where in the first quarter, Edwards blitzes late and takes down Arizona State QB Taylor Kelly by himself. You'll see speed, strength and pure explosion.

    Edwards is a beast everytime he touches the ball. He has a chance to take it back for a score. Look at his Kick Return average. As a freshman, Edwards placed 4th in the nation, 2nd in the ACC, in kickoff return average per return, and his 2 TD's were a national high. His quickness and acceleration are his key points when bringing back kicks, and even in the NFL, he'll have a skill that no one else has.

    Edwards may be a little undersized when he makes his run for the NFL, but here in the ACC, he will be just fine. Edwards is looking to be a beast in this upcoming season, so watch for him to make even more big defensive plays in 2015.

Who Will Be the Starting QB's in the ACC? Part 2- Duke

    Anthony Boone has led Duke to 2 nine-plus win seasons, their first time doing so since 1941, so who whoever takes Boone's spot has big shoes to fill.

    No, Boone did not put up big stats and set Duke records for passing yards and passing TD's, but he knew how to lead a team to win more then they were suppose to both seasons he took over as the starting QB. The next man preparing to step up isn't being asked to throw for 4000 yards this season and 30 TD's, he's being asked to win.

    QB's Parker Boehme and Thomas Sirk are the returning lettermen on the squad. Boehme is a redshirt sophomore, Sirk a redshirt junior.

Thomas Sirk

6-4, 215 lbs

    Sirk entered Spring Practice as the starting QB, appearing last season in 12 games, only missing the Miami game due to illness. He was used primarily as a wildcat QB last season, scoring the TD that won Duke a 2 OT win over Pittsburgh 51-48. He had suffered a Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss all of 2013, but he came back and was he fun to watch!

    Sirk passed 14 times last season, completing 10 of those passes, including 3 for TD's. Out of the Wildcat, he ran for 238 yards and a team high 8 TD's, being a powerful threat in the Red Zone where he was used the most. His size is helpful, but his speed is the killer. Coming out of High School, Sirk ran a 40 yard dash in 4.51 seconds, and he runs with a ton of power.

Parker Boehme

6-2, 220 lbs

    Boehme played a total of 12 snaps last season, passing on 2 of those plays and running it himself on 3 (all of the action being week 1 against Elon), Boehme won't get the chance to start over Sirk. Sirk is a more talented player overall, and with more experience, Boehme will be the suitable backup.

    I think that Sirk is going to step up and play better, if not just as well as Boone did at Duke, and keep the winning seasons coming in Durham.

Who will be the starting QB's in the ACC? part 1- Boston College

    Several ACC Quarterbacks depart the college ranks for the NFL leaving several schools without a returning starter in 2015. Here we go, team by team, the Quarterbacks of the ACC 1.0!

Boston College

     Last season, it was the senior transfer from Florida, Tyler Murphy. Murphy exploded in 2014, passing for 1600 yards and rushing for 1100 being responsible for 24 TD's. Now, he leaves due to graduation and intelligibility. Who's taking over at Boston College?

    Let's take a look at the prospects. Darius Wade would be the first one. Wade appeared in 3 games and attempted 8 passes last season in backup duty to Murphy, completing 3 of them for 23 yards. He ran twice gaining 12. He's small, 6-0 201 pounds, but he's fast, strong and he has a cannon arm. Let's refer to him as Michael Vick Jr, okay? 

    Troy Flutie was a freshman last season too. Understand that he holds the Massachusetts state record for most passing yards in a career. He's got a 4.57 40 yard dash (as a junior in High School) and almost a good of an arm as Wade has. I believe he was redshirted last season and watched Murphy and Wade from the sideline. I still expect to see him on the sideline wearing a headset with Wade in town.

    The last option would be Freshman Elijah Robinson. Native of Montclair, New Jersey, he played for Montclair High, he was the team captain last season, passing for 1600 yards, while rushing for 1800 and scoring 162 points, 41 TD's and 12 2 point conversions. 

    Robinson should make his case to be BC's starting Quarterback loud and clear, but I believe at the end of the day, as of now, it will be Darius Wade on the field conducting the Boston College offense. But, who knows with a spring practice to go?

    

Players to Watch in 2015

    The ACC has a lot of considerable talent in it's ranks, and is quickly rising to be a very tough division in the nation. Check out the top rising players who return to the lineup in 2015, and expect to hear their names called in future NFL drafts to come.

    Pittsburgh's James Conner, RB, Jr. 

    You want to talk about one unstoppable beast? Well, let's talk about Conner, the returning Junior and ACC Offensive Player of the year. Conner put together a very impressive 2014 season, running for 1765 yards and 26 TD's, which finished 3rd in the country, 1st in the ACC.

    His 6-2 250 pound frame is extremely misleading. His speed is almost the fastest on the field every time, and he's quick, combined with brute force and strength. Most times, tacklers can't bring him down with his downhill running style. Watch Conner a lot in the future days to come, Conner is definitely a dark horse contestant to blast his way into Hiesman trophy voting.


    Miami's Brad Kayaa, QB, So. 

    Miami has a growing new face of the team moving quickly up the ranks. Freshman Brad Kayaa stepped into the spotlight last season and emerged as the newest QB threat on the ACC charts. Despite throwing 7 INT's in the first 4 games, Kayaa revived, and threw 5 the remaining 9 games. Passing for 3198 yards and out throwing Jameis Winstons TD mark of 25 (With his 26). He's a pass throwing beast and just may be for years to come.

    Keep your eyes on this kid for a few reasons. He's got a cannon arm that throws downfield passes pretty accurately. He's not a dual threat QB, but he's mobile enough, passing out of the pocket while moving, and you can't forget how his throws torched the Florida State Secondary for 316 yards and 2 TD's. This is a young gun moving into 2015 with a chance to break out into an elite college football QB.

 

    North Carolina's Ryan Switzer, WR, Jr.

    Ryan Switzer is already an explosive ACC threat. However, he hasn't quite had the chance to explode on offense yet. Known for his record 5 Punt Return TD's during his freshman 2013 season, scored over a period of the last 5 weeks, he now has a chance to be known for his Receiving skills. So far, his short career has brought 93 catches for 1098 yards, and 7 TD's, and so far, he's been responsible for 14 TD's, 2 passing and 5 Returns.

    Switzer has High School tape of making insanely acrobatic one handed leaping catches in front of defenders, and he's shown some of that ability here at North Carolina. Combine those great hands with his blazing speed, and quickness, and change of direction, this guy reminds me of a more athletic version of Darren Sproles. Definitely keep a very good eye on this man in 2015, as the Tar Heels return 10 offensive starters from 2014.