Wide receiver Jordan Hudson could be a dynamic fantasy football devy target this season.
The Pony Express was the nickname given to the Southern Methodist University (SMU) teams of the late 70’s and early 80’s. They were led by the backfield duo of future NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and his teammate Craig James. SMU had consecutive top 5 finishes in ’81 and ’82, going a combined 21-1-1.
Lately, SMU has been known more for producing talent at the wide receiver position. Despite being a group of five (G5) team that competes in the AAC, a mid level conference of the FBS, SMU has managed to get five different receivers taken in the NFL draft since 2018.
Let me tell you why I think that trend will continue with SMU’s most recent commit from the transfer portal, Jordan Hudson.
The System
In 2022, first year head coach Rhett Lashlee took over for Sonny Dykes – who, along with Jordan Hudson, departed SMU for cross state rival TCU. Dykes saw great success at TCU as National Championship runner-ups to Georgia.
Hudson played sparingly as a Freshman. He posted 14 receptions for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns. That limited opportunity likely played a role in his departure, and decision to return to SMU. Another factor is the opportunity to become the top option in a Rhett Lashlee offense.
Before taking over at SMU, Lashlee served as QB coach/offensive co-ordinator at Miami in 2020-2021. He held the same titles in 2018-2019 for his current employer, the SMU Mustangs.
In the past five seasons, Lashlee’s offenses have produced an average of 3,660 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. Roughly 30% of that passing offense has been concentrated on his teams’ WR1. The WR1 on his teams have averaged of 87 receptions, 1,150 yards, and 10 touchdowns per season. These are players you want to target in devy leagues..
Four out of five seasons saw Lashlee’s WR1 accumulate over 1,100 yards. The lone exception was Mike Harley’s, who had 799 in his first season in Miami. Lashlee has managed to get this magnitude of production out of mostly mid-level 3 ⭐️ recruits – with Harley again being the lone exception. Harley was a low-end 4 ⭐️ recruit out of high-school.
Working in Hudson’s favor is the fact Lashlee has shown he has no issue leaning on a transfer portal signee to lead his receiver room. Oklahoma transfer Charleston Rambo enjoyed, by far, his most productive season under Lashlee in his lone season in Miami in 2021.
The Quarterback
Preston Stone is the highest rated high-school recruit to ever commit directly to SMU. After two seasons sitting behind incumbent starter Tanner Mordecai, Stone is finally being given the reigns as the starting quarterback in 2023.
Stone had a tremendously successful high-school career. He won back-to-back State Championships in Texas’ largest private school division. He amassed over 13,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his four seasons at Dallas Parish Episcopal.
The School
As referenced previously, SMU has made a habit of producing NFL talent at the wide receiver position recently. Last seasons top receiver, Rashee Rice, heard his name called in the 2nd round of the NFL draft by the defending Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Previous draftees include:
- Danny Gray 2022 3rd rd San Francisco
- James Proche 2020 6th rd Baltimore
- Courtland Sutton 2018 2nd rd Denver
- Trey Quinn 2018 7th rd Washington
All five of these players were seniors. Only Quinn, an LSU transfer, was higher than a 3 ⭐️ recruit coming out of high-school.
The Player
Jordan Hudson was a highly recruited receiver in the class of 2022. Ranked as a 4 ⭐️ and above by all the major recruiting services, Hudson came in as the WR15 in the 24/7 composite rankings – and was a 5 ⭐️ and WR2 at On3.
A highly productive player at Garland high-school in Texas at the 6A level, Hudson was awarded his districts Offensive Player of The Year as a Junior in 2020. He averaged over 110 receiving yards per game and scored 51 touchdowns in 29 career games.
Hudson was also a highly rated defensive back in high-school. That experience helped him develop advanced technical abilities for a player his age.
His refinement as a route runner, positional awareness, and high level ball skills are Hudson’s calling cards as a receiver – and what makes him an excellent devy prospect. He’s not a high-end athlete for the position, but does possess the adequate athleticism to succeed.
Conclusion
One of my favorite wide receivers in the class of 2022, Hudson is currently going undrafted in Devy leagues. Right now, I think you can justify taking a late round flier on him in Devy, Hudson is more of a draft target in college fantasy football (CFF) or campus to canton (C2C) leagues.
With an April ADP of 126 in C2C and 220 in CFF, Hudson is someone you should target in these formats.
With his pedigree and choice of transfer destination, Hudson is in position to benefit from one of the nation’s most prolific passing offenses and is unlikely to be recruited over. If he can play up to his potential, Jordan Hudson is a name you should become familiar with in the near future.
