From basically the minute the last fax was received to close out the Class of 2013, our scouts have been watching film on prospects in the Class of 2014. After seeing countless hours of game tape on these players, our scouts have already compiled nearly 300 evaluations, including well over 200 players who are on the ESPN Watch List.
While grades, stars and rankings are still to be determined, we are getting a better feel for the players in this class, and our evaluations break down the strengths and weaknesses of the players. Below we put together a team of players our scouts have done evals on. These players are in no particular order. This is by no means saying these players are the best at their respective positions. As noted, grades are not finalized until we release the initial player rankings in mid-April, so this is just a look at some of the players our scouts have evaluated.
Their work is not done and every day they are adding more evaluations into the recruiting database, so keep checking back for more.
QB-DT Jerrod Heard
Denton, Texas/John H. Guyer
College: Texas
Heard possesses a very good combination of height, lanky frame and mobility, but he needs to add bulk. He plays with good speed and has very good quickness and body control. He is likely a more accomplished runner than passer at this stage. He is capable of making good, quick decisions on the zone read in the run game -- he is well-versed here. Complete eval
QB-PP J.J. Cosentino
Pittsburgh/Central Catholic
College: FSU
Cosentino is in the mold of a few other tall, lanky pocket passers in this class who possess terrific physical developmental upside. He is definitely flying under the radar. He has good height and in time will carry mass to be a physical pocket player capable of standing in, warding off pressure and delivering the ball under duress. Plays from under center and out of the shotgun, and he is very consistent in his methods. Complete eval
RB Joseph Yearby
Miami/Central
College: Miami
One of the more explosive and elusive backs this class has to offer, Yearby is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball. Has gifted feet and body control. He's built low to the ground with a compact, muscular build that is tightly wound and extremely fast-twitched, making him very difficult to wrap up cleanly. Explosive back who can turn even the smallest crease of daylight into a big gainer. Complete eval
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RB Elijah Hood
Charlotte N.C./Charlotte Catholic
College: Undecided
Hood is a strong, powerful back with deceptive speed. A workhorse type of runner who projects well at the next level. A compactly built, sturdy and well-balanced back, he has close to prototypical measurables at this stage. He possesses a thick lower body and wide hip base that allows him to absorb a heavy blow and retain his feet and forward momentum. Complete eval
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TE-H Kevin Crosby
Bamberg, S.C./Bamberg-Ehrhardt
College: Undecided
Crosby is a prospect with the athletic ability to be recruited on either side of the ball, but we feel his best fit at the next level is clearly on offense where he could develop nicely as an H-back. He has a good thick build. He's not the ideal height, but possesses an above-average wingspan for his build and could still grow a bit more. He demonstrates the tools that would enable him to be a productive part of an offense's passing attack, whether from an inline position or flexed-out. Complete eval
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WR Thaddeus Snodgrass
Springfield, Ohio/Springfield
College: Undecided
Snodgrass possesses some real impressive tools. Has very good height and good bulk with good playing strength and speed. Covers ground as a WR with an excellent surge off the ball and can push DBs off him. Long strides, but shows good quicks and some shake. He is a deep threat who creates room to work at the breakpoint. Complete eval
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WR Johnnie Dixon
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer
College: Undecided
There is a lot to like about Dixon athletically. He has height, good bulk, very good strength and builds very good top-end speed. Has the initial quickness to escape press. Has good awareness and a natural feel to separate versus man and uncover versus zone in rhythm with the quarterback. He's big enough, strong enough and physical enough to play off defenders to separate if necessary. A physical player for the position. Complete eval
OT Bentley Spain
Charlotte, N.C./Providence
College: Undecided
Spain is not one of those guys who just wow you in any particular way, but he displays the tools to be a good lineman across the board. He has good height with a solid, sturdy build, but needs to develop his frame with more good mass. He can be a physical run-blocker with the ability to get into defenders quickly and deliver a good initial pop. Complete eval
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OT Mason Cole
Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake
College: Michigan
Cole is an O-line prospect with some very good natural ability and potentially very good versatility. He is a high school tackle who could very well transition to the next level at that position, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him slide inside and with some development offer five-position ability. He has a tall, leaner build for an O-lineman and has room for additional good mass. He needs to continue to add size and develop playing strength. Complete eval
OT K.C. McDermott
Wellington, Fla./Palm Beach Central
College: Undecided
McDermott is the third in a line of some good O-line prospects from his family in recent years, and the 2014 edition is the biggest and arguably the most promising of the group. His brothers were interior guys, but K.C. should find a home at tackle with very good height and a solid build, with more room to add some needed good mass with time in a college weight program. Complete eval
OG Garrett Brumfield
Baton Rouge, La./University Laboratory
College: Undecided
Brumfield is a physical and promising offensive line prospect. He looks to play predominantly tackle, but will end up sliding inside at the next level. He has adequate height and bulk at this stage, but possesses a lengthy frame with room to continue to fill out and looks to possess a nice reach for his height. He is a knee bender with good hip and ankle flexion. Possesses excellent lower-body playing strength. Complete eval
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OG Braden Smith
Olathe, Kan./Olathe South
College: Undecided
A physically impressive kid, Smith is someone you want leading the way whether it's on a running play, off the bus or into a dark alley. He is a tall kid with a muscular lifter's build and very good upper- and lower-body strength. He's a well-put-together prospect and still young with room for some growth, but he is much closer to his physical ceiling at this stage. Complete eval
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DE Da'Shawn Hand
Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge
College: Undecided
Hand is a defensive end prospect who brings several good traits to the table. He is physically well put together with good height, a lean, muscular build and he carries his weight very well with some room for additional bulk. He also demonstrates some natural smarts and comes across as a fairly measured kid in his actions. He can be explosive off the ball, with very good first-step quickness. Complete eval
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DE Lorenzo Featherston
Greensboro, N.C./Page
College: Undecided
Featherston is a towering defensive prospect -- a human condor in football pads. He is an extremely long and lean kid. Although he needs to work to add some serious bulk to his frame, he is broad shouldered and should be able to pack on some of that needed mass with time in a college weight program. He may not have a thick, hulking build, but don't let his leanness fool you as he can be explosive coming off the ball. Complete eval
DT Joshua Frazier
Springdale, Ark./Har-Ber
College: Undecided
You probably won't hear people yell "Down goes Frazier" much when it comes to this kid because he can control things inside pretty well. Frazier is a mass of humanity at the nose, checking in at well over 300 pounds. He can benefit from shedding some weight and reworking his body composition, but for someone as big as he is, he doesn't carry his weight too badly. He is not a penetrating presence, but he has a good initial burst off the ball and can get that size moving pretty well. Complete eval
DT Gerald Willis III
New Orleans/Edna Karr
College: Undecided
Willis is a defensive line prospect who can bring some scheme versatility to the table. He has solid height and a thick build, especially through his lower body, and looks to have some room to fill out further. He could potentially fit as a 3-4 DE or could transition to the next level as a 4-3 end, which he plays now. But with further physical development, we feel he will likely end up sliding inside if he continues to play in a system that utilizes a four-man front. Complete eval
ILB Raekwon McMillan
Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County
College: Undecided
McMillan is a beast between the tackles and a deceptively athletic prospect given his great bulk. Physically ready to make the college jump, he's a fast-filling, high-motored linebacker with the ability to make plays inside or out. He has great size and can close fast with impressive burst and strength, which allows him to take on and defeat blockers and run through ball carriers as a tackler. Complete eval
OLB Christian Miller
Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley
College: Florida
Miller is a prospect with the length, range and quickness on the outside that will make him attractive as a future OLB or DE. Could also play a tweener role as hybrid depending on scheme. Tall, long and high cut, with room to fill out and add bulk and power through his hips and lower body. His narrow base is a concern if converted to a DE position in college, and his high-cut frame also draws concern if used as an OLB because it hinders his change of direction and overall fluidity. Complete eval
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OLB Jamardre Cobb
Los Angeles/Salesian
College: Undecided
Cobb is aggressive, fast and physical with the versatility to align at multiple positions as a two-way player. A punishing blocker at fullback and downhill tailback who could serve either role in goal-line packages at the next level, but we feel he has every-down-linebacker potential and could be a real disruptive one. Complete eval
CB Jalen Tabor
Washington, D.C./Friendship Academy
College: Undecided
Tabor is another tall, athletic and scheme-versatile corner in this class who could be recruited to play CB or safety. Very good height with lean bulk. He has a strong, explosive frame and knows how to use it to play physical when the scheme or technique calls for it. Runs well, has good acceleration and long-striding speed to make up ground. Lacks elite speed and has better range, making safety a good possibility in college given his size. Complete eval
CB Damon Webb
Detroit/Cass Tech
College: Ohio State
Webb has a very good cover-corner skill set at the high school level and a gamer's attitude. He is ahead of the curve physically and mentally at the corner position. Well-versed in schemes and technique and has intangibles like a competitive edge that you look for in a lockdown defender. Size is above average as he has good length on a muscular frame that is wiry strong and explosive. Complete eval
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S Todd Kelly Jr.
Knoxville, Tenn./Webb
College: Tennessee
Kelly has really developed physically from his sophomore to junior year and is a safety prospect who can run, close and hit for big-production and momentum-changing plays. Very explosive player. Lacks ideal height and length, but he's well-built and still has very good size at the position and plays bigger on film. Shows good acceleration closing on the ball and has good overall pursuit speed. Excels as a zone defender reading, reacting and playing ball to man. Complete eval
S Jamal Adams
Lewisville, Texas/Hebron
College: Undecided
Adams is a productive safety in all three levels of the defense and an explosive defender and overall player. Has good size, range and well-rounded run and pass support skill set. He has the good size and toughness you look for at the position and plays with a fast and physical style. Looks taller on film than his listed measurables and has some length to his frame, which helps him cover ground. Well-built and muscular with good pop on contact and playing strength. Complete eval
ATH Marshon Lattimore
Cleveland/Glenville
College: Undecided
Lattimore is in the same mold as Class of 2013 Ohio State signee Dontre Wilson in the sense that he is the ultimate offensive weapon as both a pass-catcher and ball carrier. He might not be as fast as Wilson, but is every bit the playmaker. Has good height and has bulked up with lean mass and functional strength. Doubles on defense with reps at safety and corner. Complete eval