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.