When Texas signed Devin Duvernay, it was almost a foregone conclusion that his brother Donovan would choose to enroll in Austin as well. That was made official following Baylor’s announcement that he along with four other players would be released from their letter of intent. Donovan was not recruited by Texas during the season, but he did hold offers from Houston, Boise State, Michigan, SMU, and TCU.
Duvernay lines up at multiple positions on the field, and while his ultimate role isn’t defined yet he looks like he could fill a role as a super utility player. While many think that Donovan is part of the package to get his talented brother, he has a unique skillset of his own that translates to the field. On offense he could feature as a slot back that lines up in multiple places. He is also a defensive back by trade, and could play at the corner as well as contribute on special teams. While Devin has incredible talent in his own right, fans should not sell Donovan short between the lines.
Film Analysis:
Duvernay is undersized at 5’9, 180 and it doesn’t look like there’s a ton of room to add more weight. While he doesn’t possess the elite track speed his brother has, Donovan is plenty fast with great quickness and wiggle. He can line up at multiple receiver positions and, and he could even contribute from the backfield if needed. Much like his brother, Donovan is very good at exploiting space and using the swivel in his hips to wiggle out of danger in the open field. Duvernay has very quick feet and excellent vision, and he’s a threat to do the most damage on screens and jet sweeps. The strongest part of his game on tape is his natural instincts, and field awareness. Duvernay has a great knack for finding soft spots in zone coverage and a crafty ability to slip out of coverage when the pocket breaks down. He shows strong catching ability and excellent body control to beat defenders. Duvernay’s route running is a little rough, but he should be able to clean that up once he reaches college. His quickness and fluidity also make Donovan a weapon on returns where he could probably contribute early. At defensive back Duvernay uses his quickness and smooth hips to change direction fluidly and mirror his coverage. His instincts serve him well there and allow him to read plays and break on the ball. Duvernay is a good tackler and overall strong athlete at any position he lines up at.
Final Verdict:
While most people will see this as a package deal, Donovan Duvernay has the athleticism and versatility to feature as a utility player at several different positions. His special teams ability will help him get on the field early on, and while he doesn’t possess elite athletic tools, he could definitely become an all conference players with a chance to cash NFL paychecks.
