Our analyst are reeling off their top 10 list of prospects they evaluated during their careers. Everyone views an evaluation differently. For me, I think I take more of the old school approach--watching them in multiple settings prior to giving an evaluation. Unfortunately, the times don't allow for that, although I make time for it (I'm a film junky).
Anyway, I began thinking about my top 10 list after reading Sam's the other day. I wanted to do 20 because of all the guys left off, but that is the purpose of it being 10--only the super elite survive. Hope it is worth the read.
This list is how I viewed the guys at that time. I keep all my databases and profiles, so going back and checking some notes helps ensure I keep things real with myself.
PS: No edit. Didn't have the time and don't care that much with this post.
1. Derek Stingley, CB, Louisiana, 2019
Yep, Stingley comes in as the No. 1 guy on the list. It took awhile to get to this point. I felt early on (Bootlegger tournaments at 14) that he was going to end up in the top tier of guys--much like what this list is made to represent. All the workout sessions, camps, tournaments, and high school games I witnessed allowed for a natural transition into what I believe today--Stingley is a once in 20-years type of talent, which I would only give to the top 2 guys on the list.
Stingley's focus, character, drive, intelligence and work ethic are all elite, which is simply amazing when you couple it with all of his physical attributes. He had the highest ceiling out of the group, but arguably the highest floor as well, due to his advanced skillset and the aforementioned traits just mentioned.
2. Patrick Peterson, CB, Florida, 2008
There became a point just prior to Stingely's development in his teenage years it seemed as if I may never "evaluate" another prospect like Peterson, which is a testament to both of their abilities. While there were a lot of concerns reverberating through the echo chambers of the establishment of forever-doubters in the recruiting world, who seem to question most elite players that surface, Peterson was unquestionably a special talent.
He could have been a standout receiver as well as elite cornerback, but he made the right choice. His explosiveness, confidence, speed and size were unlike anything I witnessed at this point of my career.
3. Anthony "Freak" Johnson, DT, Louisiana, 2011
Man, what an impressive high school football prospect Freak was. He may be the most dominant high school player I ever saw. You couldn't convince me that Johnson would make a handful of Pro Bowls during his playing career. He was so explosive and quick. He played with great leverage and was virtually unstoppable in high school.
4. Leonard Williams, DL, Florida, 2012
I first stumbled on Williams when going to watch some guys (Marlon Lane and Cortez Davis) practice at Mainland HS in Dayton Beach, Fl. I was meeting a coaching buddy over there. It didn't take long for Williams to stand out in drill work and when I learned he just turned 15 I went from intrigue to excitement. By the end of practice I felt like he could be special. We got him over to the facility I worked at with the other kids and it quickly became apparent he was everything he first appeared to be. He ended up a 10 in the scouting database I helped build, which was pretty rare at the time, given to a select few guys over the years.
While Williams has been really good in his pro career, especially against the run, I expect him to improve as a pass rusher and eventually be a top 5 guy at his position. He took a big leap last year and has been working with some great people during the offseason.
5. Leonard Fournette, RB, Louisiana 2014
Nuff said.
6. Julio Jones, WR, Alabama, 2008
At this point in my career I was covering central Florida, north Florida, the Florida panhandle and south Georgia for a scouting service. I was fully aware of Julio, so when I had the opportunity to hit the Pensacola area, I snuck over to Foley, Alabama for a game. I can't remember the team they played, one of the better ones in that part of the state, though, and JJ simply dominated and it was easy to see he was a Calvin Johnson, dare I say Randy Moss type of talent.
I was able to befriend one of his coaches and was able to get my hands on more discs of film (yes, we were still collecting DVD's we burned from games when visiting these schools) and I had to watch each game at least twice. After his freshman year I found them and watched most of them again.
7. Demar Dorsey, S, Florida, 2010
Dorsey was a guy I clashed with a lot of people on. Everyone knew he was a great athlete and we all knew he had some character issues, but the kid has something special when the helmet was on. The bust potential was extremely high, due to his lack of focus etc., but the talent looked rare to me and I have yet to evaluate a guy with the same type of ability to close on a ball.
Unfortunately, Dorsey signed with Michigan and everything fell apart as soon as he arrived on campus. If I remember correctly Dorsey is the half brother of Bears standout safety Eddie Jackson. I had Eddie on my Florida 7on7 team and was a huge fan, but he will be the first to admit that Dorsey was a better athlete and prospect.
8. Laremy Tunsil, OL, Florida, 2012
Tunsil was always impressive. He is still the best high school offensive lineman I was able to evaluate thoroughly in high school. I saw a ton of great looking prospects, but didn't see them enough to consider for this list.
Tunsil played his high school ball just over an hour west of where I lived at the time and I found it rather enjoyable to go watch him play, whether it be practice or games. Derrick Henry was another guy about an hour out that just missed this list for me. He was an hour north of Jacksonville, so I went up to see him a lot as well. Anyway, Tunsil's athleticism, strength and size was a rare blend.
9. La'el Collins
La'el was just a monster. He made key blocks all over the field and routinely wiped out an entire side of the line. His initial punch and desire to finish stood out from the first reps I watched him take until his final snaps at LSU.
10. Odell Beckham, WR, Louisiana, 2014
Yes. I always had Odell ahead of Jarvis. It's not that I know more than everyone else, I just got to see the two far more than they did. There is also a bias that develops when a guy sticks his neck out for a guy like Jarvis so early in their careers and tabbing them as elite. It is hard to let a newcomer surpass them, which is kinda where Odell was in his recruitment. DOn't get me wrong--Jarivs is and was elite--but he is not Odell.
Anyway, Odell was the best 7on7 player to ever hit the circuit. This is the platform he used to establish himself as a standout prospect. I spent a great deal of time working with him that spring and summer, even bringing him out to my facility in Florida for 4 days, and the things he could do were just unique. By the way, Odell was the best cornerback the Bootleggers had until this Stingley guy showed up. He was better than Tre'Davious, Toliver, James Bradberry, Donte Jackson, Kelvin Joseph etc. His fluidity, ball skills, instincts, length and lateral quickness were all elite.
We lost in the national semifinals that year to a team that had Teddy Bridgewater, Amari Cooper, Ryan Shazier, Deon Bush etc. They also had this tremendous 14-year old running back named Sony Michel.
I could go on and on about Odell. But--that is my list. Hope it was worth the read.
Anyway, I began thinking about my top 10 list after reading Sam's the other day. I wanted to do 20 because of all the guys left off, but that is the purpose of it being 10--only the super elite survive. Hope it is worth the read.
This list is how I viewed the guys at that time. I keep all my databases and profiles, so going back and checking some notes helps ensure I keep things real with myself.
PS: No edit. Didn't have the time and don't care that much with this post.
1. Derek Stingley, CB, Louisiana, 2019
Yep, Stingley comes in as the No. 1 guy on the list. It took awhile to get to this point. I felt early on (Bootlegger tournaments at 14) that he was going to end up in the top tier of guys--much like what this list is made to represent. All the workout sessions, camps, tournaments, and high school games I witnessed allowed for a natural transition into what I believe today--Stingley is a once in 20-years type of talent, which I would only give to the top 2 guys on the list.
Stingley's focus, character, drive, intelligence and work ethic are all elite, which is simply amazing when you couple it with all of his physical attributes. He had the highest ceiling out of the group, but arguably the highest floor as well, due to his advanced skillset and the aforementioned traits just mentioned.
2. Patrick Peterson, CB, Florida, 2008
There became a point just prior to Stingely's development in his teenage years it seemed as if I may never "evaluate" another prospect like Peterson, which is a testament to both of their abilities. While there were a lot of concerns reverberating through the echo chambers of the establishment of forever-doubters in the recruiting world, who seem to question most elite players that surface, Peterson was unquestionably a special talent.
He could have been a standout receiver as well as elite cornerback, but he made the right choice. His explosiveness, confidence, speed and size were unlike anything I witnessed at this point of my career.
3. Anthony "Freak" Johnson, DT, Louisiana, 2011
Man, what an impressive high school football prospect Freak was. He may be the most dominant high school player I ever saw. You couldn't convince me that Johnson would make a handful of Pro Bowls during his playing career. He was so explosive and quick. He played with great leverage and was virtually unstoppable in high school.
4. Leonard Williams, DL, Florida, 2012
I first stumbled on Williams when going to watch some guys (Marlon Lane and Cortez Davis) practice at Mainland HS in Dayton Beach, Fl. I was meeting a coaching buddy over there. It didn't take long for Williams to stand out in drill work and when I learned he just turned 15 I went from intrigue to excitement. By the end of practice I felt like he could be special. We got him over to the facility I worked at with the other kids and it quickly became apparent he was everything he first appeared to be. He ended up a 10 in the scouting database I helped build, which was pretty rare at the time, given to a select few guys over the years.
While Williams has been really good in his pro career, especially against the run, I expect him to improve as a pass rusher and eventually be a top 5 guy at his position. He took a big leap last year and has been working with some great people during the offseason.
5. Leonard Fournette, RB, Louisiana 2014
Nuff said.
6. Julio Jones, WR, Alabama, 2008
At this point in my career I was covering central Florida, north Florida, the Florida panhandle and south Georgia for a scouting service. I was fully aware of Julio, so when I had the opportunity to hit the Pensacola area, I snuck over to Foley, Alabama for a game. I can't remember the team they played, one of the better ones in that part of the state, though, and JJ simply dominated and it was easy to see he was a Calvin Johnson, dare I say Randy Moss type of talent.
I was able to befriend one of his coaches and was able to get my hands on more discs of film (yes, we were still collecting DVD's we burned from games when visiting these schools) and I had to watch each game at least twice. After his freshman year I found them and watched most of them again.
7. Demar Dorsey, S, Florida, 2010
Dorsey was a guy I clashed with a lot of people on. Everyone knew he was a great athlete and we all knew he had some character issues, but the kid has something special when the helmet was on. The bust potential was extremely high, due to his lack of focus etc., but the talent looked rare to me and I have yet to evaluate a guy with the same type of ability to close on a ball.
Unfortunately, Dorsey signed with Michigan and everything fell apart as soon as he arrived on campus. If I remember correctly Dorsey is the half brother of Bears standout safety Eddie Jackson. I had Eddie on my Florida 7on7 team and was a huge fan, but he will be the first to admit that Dorsey was a better athlete and prospect.
8. Laremy Tunsil, OL, Florida, 2012
Tunsil was always impressive. He is still the best high school offensive lineman I was able to evaluate thoroughly in high school. I saw a ton of great looking prospects, but didn't see them enough to consider for this list.
Tunsil played his high school ball just over an hour west of where I lived at the time and I found it rather enjoyable to go watch him play, whether it be practice or games. Derrick Henry was another guy about an hour out that just missed this list for me. He was an hour north of Jacksonville, so I went up to see him a lot as well. Anyway, Tunsil's athleticism, strength and size was a rare blend.
9. La'el Collins
La'el was just a monster. He made key blocks all over the field and routinely wiped out an entire side of the line. His initial punch and desire to finish stood out from the first reps I watched him take until his final snaps at LSU.
10. Odell Beckham, WR, Louisiana, 2014
Yes. I always had Odell ahead of Jarvis. It's not that I know more than everyone else, I just got to see the two far more than they did. There is also a bias that develops when a guy sticks his neck out for a guy like Jarvis so early in their careers and tabbing them as elite. It is hard to let a newcomer surpass them, which is kinda where Odell was in his recruitment. DOn't get me wrong--Jarivs is and was elite--but he is not Odell.
Anyway, Odell was the best 7on7 player to ever hit the circuit. This is the platform he used to establish himself as a standout prospect. I spent a great deal of time working with him that spring and summer, even bringing him out to my facility in Florida for 4 days, and the things he could do were just unique. By the way, Odell was the best cornerback the Bootleggers had until this Stingley guy showed up. He was better than Tre'Davious, Toliver, James Bradberry, Donte Jackson, Kelvin Joseph etc. His fluidity, ball skills, instincts, length and lateral quickness were all elite.
We lost in the national semifinals that year to a team that had Teddy Bridgewater, Amari Cooper, Ryan Shazier, Deon Bush etc. They also had this tremendous 14-year old running back named Sony Michel.
I could go on and on about Odell. But--that is my list. Hope it was worth the read.
