The three national All-Star games (Army, UnderArmour, and Offense-Defense)
provide a similar evaluation environment that our colleagues in basketball have
enjoyed for years: the best players playing against one another.
The setting gives regional Scouts a chance to see players from other regions in
person in several instances for the first time. It's a valuable experience for
us as we can compare notes with each other as we're all seeing the same players
in the same setting. It never hurts to have another set of eyes on the players
some of us have covered for three and four years, and seeing how the players
step up to the level of competition is a huge plus in evaluating.
Scout.com's Final Rankings will be done next week, but as an early primer, the
Scouts were asked about two guys each they thought should move up. As with the
NFL Draft, if one player gets elevated into the 1st round, someone has to drop
to the 2nd (or lower), so for the two guys that moved up, who were two players
they thought would move down from their current position?
Bob Lichtenfels - Army All-American Bowl
J.T. Turner, 6-2/185, Defense Back, Massillon, Ohio
Michigan Commitment
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J.T. Turner
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Turner is currently rated as a four-star safety, but from what we saw out of
him this week makes us believe that he can play cornerback. He deserves to be
one of the top fifty players in the nation. At 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, it is rare
to see a kid with that kind of size that can open his hips and run with anyone,
but yet still be physical enough to hit like a safety and squat on the run.
Shayne Skov, 6-3/220, Linebacker, Trinity-Pawling, N.Y.
Stanford Commitment
Skov was ranked as the nation's No. 7 weakside linebacker due to the fact
that he was a ball hawking safety in high school who could cover. After seeing
Skov play the middle linebacker role for the East team, he has convinced us that
he can be not only a MIKE, but he is one of the best in the nation. Skov can
cover, and he stuffs the run. He is very active sideline to sideline and he is a
leader as well.
Anthony LaLota, 6-5/260, Lineman, The Hun School, N.J.
Michigan Commitment
LaLota insisted on being a defensive end and wants to play defensive end in
college. He played defensive end in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and he
struggled all week. To me he is a very average defensive player who moves very
well. As an offensive lineman, the sky is the limit. Since he wants to be a
defensive end and Michigan recruited him as a defensive end we're going to rank
him as defensive player.
Kendall Kelly, 6-3/220, Gadsden City, Ala.
Considering Alabama, Clemson, and Auburn among others
Kelly struggled all week long and was overshadowed by Greg Timmons, Pat Patterson and Rueben Randle. Kelly definitely looks the part, but he struggled
to play up to his lofty ranking. Sometimes it can be taken into consideration
that a player is just having a bad week, but skill-wise, Kelly was not close to
the same level as the other East or West wide receivers.
Brandon Huffman - UnderArmour All-American Bowl
Gary Brown, 6-4/275, Defensive Tackle, West Gadsden, Fla.
Florida Commitment
No one was more dominant up front this week than Brown. He was impossible for
the interior offensive lineman to block during the week in practice. He showed a
great, quick first step and played with intensity and a motor each play.
Duron Carter, 6-3/185, Wide Receiver, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.
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Duron Carter
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Ohio State Commitment
Carter may not be explosive, but he'll catch anything and everything thrown to
him. He will go up the ladder for the tough catch. He will make the catch in
traffic, and can make the diving catch. Runs crisp routes.
Frankie Telfort, 5-11/195, Linebacker, Gulliver Prep, Fla.
Considering Florida and USC
His game speed is a question for safety, and his size is a question at
linebacker. Obviously, his height is
out of his control, but he needs to play better in space.
Taylor Lewan, 6-7/270, Offensive Lineman, Chaparral, Ariz.
Michigan Commitment
Physically, he's a freak, but he's got to get a little
better in his technique to really make that next level. On Wednesday, he played
above his head, but as the week went on, he struggled with his technique.
Scott Kennedy - Offense-Defense All-American Bowl
Kwame Geathers, 6-6/330, Defensive Tackle, Carver's Bay, S.C.
Considering South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Maryland
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Kwame Geathers
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Geathers is a late bloomer that has really come on as a senior. As he has
started to grow more comfortable in his massive size, his coordination has
caught up with his frame and strength. Geathers gets an incredible push against
shorter offensive linemen who should have the advantage in leverage. He
commanded a double team all week and was still a dominant force. His change of
direction leads me to believe he's more than athletic enough to remain on the
defensive side of the ball rather than move to offensive tackle.
Reid Fragel, 6-7/255, Grosse Point, Mich.
Ohio State Commitment
Fragel is the best blocking tight end I can remember seeing in my eight years of
scouting. He's athletic enough, and his hands are strong enough to remain at
tight end on the college level. However it seems that nearly every Top 10 NFL
draft pick at offensive tackle begins being described as "Recruited as a
tight end..." Fragel could be that guy one day.
Chris Fields, 6-0/180, Wide Receiver, Harvey, Ohio
Ohio State Commitment
Fields is blessed with great speed. He needs to learn the finer points of being
a wide receiver including route running, body position, blocking, etc... A great
athlete that plays football right now. The hope is that he works himself into a
football player that is a great athlete.
Chris Hubbard, 6-5/250, Offensive Lineman, Carver Columbus, Ga.
Considering UCLA, Duke, Mississippi State, and UAB among others
Hubbard is a little light right now at 250 pounds, but what was disappointing
what his lack of desire to compete. With only six offensive linemen on the East
squad, Hubbard routinely stood and watched and didn't seem to have the fire to
get on the field. He had the quickest feet of any of the offensive linemen, but
he's going to have to prove that he wants to be on the field on the next level.
Steve Robertson - UnderArmour All-American Bowl
Duron
Carter, 6-3/185, Wide Receiver, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.
Ohio State Commitment
Carter was easily the best route runner on either roster. He
has added some bulk and many of the questions about his speed are unfounded. He
is not a track star, but he has no problem getting open and making plays.
Gary
Brown, 6-4/275, Defensive Tackle, West Gadsden, Fla.
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Gary Brown
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Florida Commitment
He was downright dominant last week. No matter who he lined up
against, he won more battles than he lost. He plays with a lot of passion, and he
was an emotional leader for his squad. He has quick hands and he understands how
to use his body to win a leverage battle.
Logan Heastie,
6-3/185, Wide Receiver, Great Bridge, Va.
West Virginia Commiment
Heastie does a lot of the little things well and his footwork
is very precise, but he rarely gained any separation from the defensive backs.
He is very quick, but he will need to add some upper body strength to contend
with defensive backs who come up in press coverage.
Frankie
Telfort, 5-11/195, Linebacker, Gulliver Prep, Fla.
Considering Florida and USC
Tellfort enjoys making the big hit, but he is not a real
sure tackler. He always seemed to be a step a way from making the tackle, and just unable to get to the spot. He is a
physical kid, but his
reaction time seems to be lacking.
Andrew Bone - Army All-American Bowl
D.J. Fluker,
6-7/350, Offensive Lineman, Foley, Ala.
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D.J. Fluker
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Alabama Commitment
Fluker was the most dominant player on the field the first two
days of practice in San Antonio. He came away as the best lineman in the skills challenge
event Wednesday. He showed excellent burst of speed and quickness, but sprained
his knee before the scrimmage. He was slowed the remainder of the week with the
injury and could not showcase his ability in the game.
Pat
Patterson, 6-2/206, Wide Receiver, Noxubee County, Miss.
Considering Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, Southern Miss and Tennessee
Patterson was the most consistent receiver throughout the week
for the West team. He is physical, well built and has great speed. Patterson has
great hands and made a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch during the game.
Kendall
Kelly, 6-3/220, Gadsden City, Ala.
Considering Alabama, Clemson, and Auburn among others
Kelly struggled throughout the week in San Antonio. He was
bothered during his senior season with a few nagging injuries. He needs to focus
on route running and catching the ball. He has all the attributes of an elite
prospect, but he has room to grow to become a better player on the next level.
Allen Trieu - Offense-Defense All-American Bowl
Kwame
Geathers, 6-6/330, Defensive Tackle, Carver's Bay, S.C.
Considering South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Maryland
Coming into the week, we had Big Kwame rated as an offensive
tackle, but he dominated on the defensive side of the ball. The term "unblockable"
gets thrown around quite a bit in football, but he really was this week. He won
a well deserved MVP award in the game as he spent most of his time on the field
in the opposing backfield.
Demond Dennis, 5-11/185, Running Back Carver Atlanta, Ga.
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Demond Dennis
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Troy Commitment
Dennis was dynamic throughout practice all week, and he carried
that over into the game, showing speed, explosiveness and catching four passes
out of the backfield. Three East coaches pegged him as an MVP throughout the
week and low and behold, he won offensive MVP during the game.
Everett Benyard,
6-6/330, Offensive Tackle, Cathedral Catholic, Calif.
Oregon Commitment
Benyard is a big man and did well with run blocking, but
needs to improve his footwork as he struggled with speed rushers.
Derek Johnson,
6-3/285, Defensive Tackle, Hoxie, Ark.
Texas Commitment
Johnson is big and strong, but he relies too much on brute
strength. He could improve his conditioning and quickness off the ball.
Miller Safrit - UnderArmour All-American Bowl
Gary
Brown, 6-4/275, Defensive Tackle, West Gadsden, Fla.
Florida Commitment
Brown was possibly a top three overall performer throughout the week and game.
He has an impressive combination of lower body strength, upper body leverage,
and hand placement.
Branden Smith, 6-0/175, Cornerback, Washington, Ga.
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Branden Smith
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Georgia Commitment
Smith's very impressive speed was a known commodity, but has added a physical
presence at the line of scrimmage and getting more comfortable in zone coverage.
Thomas Ashcraft,
6-5/275, Offensive Lineman, Cedar Hill, Texas
Texas Commitment
Ashcroft was at his best used inside when he is in a more confined
space. He had more trouble in an open area and dipping hips and adjusting to stunts in the line.
Jamaal Berry,
5-11/200, Running Back, Palmetto, Fla.
Ohio State Commitment
Berry never exactly showed the low 4.3 speed he did at the Scout Combine in
Miami. He was more effective as a plugger inside the tackles rather than a game-changing speedster.
Mike Bakas - UnderArmour All-American Bowl
Gary
Brown, 6-4/275, Defensive Tackle, West Gadsden, Fla.
Florida Commitment
Currently rated as a four-stars and the No. 12 DT prospect
in the country, Brown was widely considered the best defensive lineman at the
practices all week and then into the game. When the linemen did 1-on-1 drills, none of the 4 and 5 star offensive linemen
were able to block him effectively. During team scrimmage drills, Brown was
constantly disrupting plays. He has a tremendous blend of size, strength, and
quickness off the ball and looked every bit like a 5-star prospect.
Duron
Carter, 6-3/185, Wide Receiver, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.
Ohio State Commitment
Currently rated as four-stars, that number is right. However,
we have him rated as the nation's No. 32-rated wide receiver prospect and that's
too low after what he did all week in Orlando. Sure, he might not have blazing
speed but at the end of the day, when it comes time to running routes and
catching footballs, Carter was as good as there was in Orlando all week. Carter's future is big,
especially as he continues getting bigger and gaining strength in his lower body
to become a more explosive player. He should remain a four-star prospect but his
positional rank needs to go way up.
Abry Jones,
6-4/250, Defensive Lineman, Northside Warner Robins, Ga.
Georgia Commitment
Scout has him pegged as the nation's No. 1 defensive tackle prospect, and based on what I saw all week in Orlando, he
was behind most of the defensive tackle prospects in the game. Jones is a nice prospect. He does a lot of things well but he's a
year or two away physically because of his size and just didn't show the ability
to dominate the line of scrimmage like a few other of the interior guys.
Logan
Heastie,
6-3/185, Wide Receiver, Great Bridge, Va.
West Virginia Commiment
Heastie is another very talented player with a big upside.
However, he was not one of the top few wide receivers in Orlando this week. He
doesn't create separation like guys like Jamal Reid or Andre Debose, and he
doesn't have the physical tools as some of the other players. After having
watched him all week, without really knowing who he was, he looked like he could be a 4-star caliber player, but having him
rated over several of the wide receivers just in Orlando seemed
like a stretch.