For the first time since 2003, Scout has a wire to wire No. 1 prospect sitting atop the Scout 300.
Offensive tackle prospect Seantrel Henderson (6-8/340) of Saint Paul, Minn. was
Scout's number one prospect for the Class of 2010 when the initial rankings were released over a year ago. After over a year of scouting the nation's top prospects, it's Henderson who remains the top prospect for the Class of 2010.
Ernie Sims, a two-way standout from Tallahassee, Fla., was the last and only
player to sit atop the Scout rankings from beginning to end. Sims was an
All-American at Florida State before being drafted ninth overall by the Detroit Lions.
A premier left tackle candidate, Henderson has the all of the attributes coveted
by offensive line coaches and the quarterbacks whose blindside he protects.
Henderson has the quick feet of a basketball player in the low post, the girth
to handle the more powerful bull rushers, and the long arms to steer a speed
rusher around the edge.
Big Baby Glen Davis of the Boston Celtics had similar attributes as Henderson,
and I had always wondered how his career would have panned out had he chosen the
gridiron. As fate would have it, we should all get a pretty good idea following
the college career of Seantrel Henderson.
Henderson is going to have his work cut out for him as a collegian as the
deepest position for the Class of 2010 is defensive line. There are 69 defensive
linemen included in the Scout 300 and a whopping eight defensive ends in the Top
50. Headlining this class of ends is Ronald Powell (6-5/250) of Rancho
Cucamonga, California. Powell, committed to the University of Florida, has Jevon Kearse like skills from his end position. Kearse was dubbed "The
Freak" for his combination of size and athleticism.
New five star Dominique Easley |
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In a case of the rich getting richer, if bringing Powell in weren't enough to
make offensive coordinators in the SEC have some sleepless nights, Florida is
also bringing in Scout's No. 1 and No. 2 defensive tackles in the country.
Sharrif Floyd (6-2/311) of Philadelphia, Pa. and Dominique Easley (6-2/265) of
Staten Island, N.Y. will combine to make a formidable duo in Gainesville. Floyd
has the size to handle double teams while Easley has backfield penetration
quickness.
If defensive line is the deepest position it doesn't have much of a lead over
the wide receivers. 46 receivers made the Scout 300 this year, including two of
the Top 5 players in the entire country. Robert Woods (6-2/185) of Gardena,
Calif. and Kyle Prater (6-5/205) of Hillside, Ill. are Scout's No. 3 and No. 4
players in the country regardless of position, and their recruitment is similar
to that of Scout's two top defensive tackles.
Despite playing the same position, Woods and Prater bring a very different skill
set, similar to Floyd and Easley. Woods is a state champion track and field
participant who has tremendous body control and gets better separation than any
receiver in the country. Prater is a big, physical receiver capable of running
away from players with his long strides, but he is the receiver that's going to
out muscle and out leap a defensive back.
And like Floyd and Easley, Woods and Prater are committed to the same school;
the nation's top two receivers are headed west to play for USC.
The receiver position across the board is a deep one. I don't know that we'll
ever see a class like the Class of 2008 which included Julio Jones (Alabama),
A.J. Green (Georgia), Deandre Brown (Southern Miss), and Michael Floyd (Notre Dame) among others, but the Class of 2010 legitimately goes 75 deep with players
that could be members of the Scout 300. The Top 10 might not match the Class of
2008, but from 10 down, the Class of 2010 is as deep a class of receivers as I
can remember.
Picking the top quarterbacks for this class was a bit more of a challenge. In
recent seasons there have been No. 1 players like Mark Sanchez ('05), Matthew Stafford ('06), Jimmy Clausen ('07), Terrelle Pryor ('08) and Matt Barkley
('09). This class does not include players that scream 2013 1st round draft
pick, but we fully expect Jake Heaps of Issaquah, Wash. to throw for a million
yards at BYU. Heaps is nearly flawless in his fundamentals and accuracy. Phillip Sims (Alabama), Paul Jones (Penn State), Blake Bell (Oklahoma) and Devin Gardner
(Michigan) join Heaps as 5-Stars on Scout.
I've always said that the easiest position to scout is running back. How many
times during the course of a season does a television analyst say of a play made
by a running back "that can't be coached". The typical star running
back isn't coached up; he's recruited.
Keenan Allen tops in the Southeast |
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There are dozens of difference makers at the running back position, each
bringing a little something different to the table in terms of skill set. Marcus Lattimore (6-0/210) of Duncan, S.C. is the total package. He has size, balance,
vision, speed, and good hands out of the backfield. In a deep year for the
position, Lattimore's well rounded skill set put him at the top of the heap on
Scout.
Chris Martin (6-4/240) is a hybrid type of defender that is becoming more and
more popular for defensive coordinators across the country. Martin has the size
to put his hand down and play end, or he could stand up and play outside
linebacker in a 3-4. Martin has travelled near and far to play high school
football this season before settling in Colorado for his senior year, but his
travels will bring him back home to Cal
for his college career.
If recruiting in pairs seems to be a theme at the top of the Scout 300, Alabama
continues the trend with the defensive backs. The 2009 BCS Champion has
commitments from Scout's No. 1 ranked safety, Keenan Allen (6-2/195) of
Greensboro, N.C., and Scout's No. 1 corner, Demarcus Milliner (6-1/185) of
Millbrook, Ala.. Allen and Milliner are both players that have tremendous
physical attributes as well as playmaking instincts.
The initial player rankings for the Class of 2010 came out in September of 2008.
This represents the final edition of the Scout 300 for the Class of 2010.
However, the first update to the Scout
300 for the Class of 2011 is right around the corner. Scout released its
initial top 100 players last September as well as the current three stars who are on the Scout300 Watch List and will be revising this list and adding
to it the week of signing day.
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