Cassidy: The 10 best players I've ever scouted
Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy joined Rivals.com six years ago, so he hasn’t seen as many prospects as some of the other members of the staff. He has, however, covered three different regions in his relatively short time in the business. Below, Cassidy lists the top 10 players he’s scouted.
THIS SERIES: Top 10 prospects Sam Spiegelman has ever scouted | Adam Friedman | Adam Gorney | Josh Helmholdt | Chad Simmons
1. TREVOR LAWRENCE
Simply put, Lawrence is the best high school football player I‘ve ever seen. When he was a junior in high school, fellow Rivals employee Woody Wommack and I used to joke about Lawrence’s future Pro Football Hall of Fame induction and half-jokingly refer to him as “the best football player ever.” That stuff was possibly a bit of an exaggeration, but his talent was clear well before he started stockpiling scholarship offers. I’ve never seen a more complete high school prospect.
2. NICK BOSA
Bosa took over games on defense. He never did a single camp and didn’t need to, as the dynamic lineman played and bested top-flight competition week after week at St. Thomas Aquinas. He was a wire-to-wire five-star for a reason. I never got to know Bosa that well because he was guarded and stayed away from the camp circuit, but I don’t blame the guy. His talent was so obvious that he had nothing to prove on the camp circuit.
3. JERRY JEUDY
I’ll remember Jeudy for being one of the most difficult interview subjects I’ve ever covered and also one of the most dynamic wide receivers. We moved him up from, a four-star prospect late in the cycle and I’m glad we did. In the end, what sealed the deal was the ease at which he would defeat other SEC-bound defensive backs in games and camps. The competition level was undeniable and so was his talent. It probably took us too long to make him a five-star, but we got it done in the end.
4. JEFFERY SIMMONS
Simmons was solidly on my radar as a high school senior, but as is the case with a lot of Mississippi kids, he didn’t come to many events. In fact, I never saw him in person until the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game, which took place just a few months before signing day. Once I got a look at him in person, he shot to five-star status.
Simmons is a physical specimen that moves like a much smaller prospect. He was a no-brainer five-star that would have carried that ranking for longer if he wasn’t quasi-hidden in Mississippi.
5. JALEN RAMSEY
Ramsey was already a well established prospect before he showed up at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge, which is where I first saw him in person. On that day, he shut down a slew of elite wideouts and took over the 7-on-7 portion of the event. In true ramsey fashion, he also let everyone within earshot hear about his performance. That always scores extra points with me. Ramsey is exactly what I’d be if I were an elite athlete instead of a slow, out-of-shape reporter.
6. CHRISTIAN KIRK
Playing high school football in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kirk was always the best player on the field by a mile. He had multiple five-touchdown games and was a dynamo in the kicking game as well. I had to fight to make Kirk a five-star and finally got my way in the final rankings update. That worked out relatively well. I’ve still never seen a player accelerate as quickly as Kirk, who exploded off the line as though he was shot by a cannon.
7. CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY
I flew from Phoenix, where I was living at the time, to the Denver suburbs to see McCaffrey when he was a senior in high school and came away from the game wowed. In the months following that trip, I attempted to push him for five-star status but ultimately lost the fight. Because my personality is garbage and I can’t let things go, I take every single chance I get to remind the rest of the Rivals staff about that discussion. Here I am doing it again and I’m not even a little bit sorry.
8. JOSH ROSEN
I connected with Rosen on a spiritual level because he hated the rah-rah stuff and silly cliches as much as I do. And while he’s been spotty in the NFL, he was a confident, efficient, completion machine in high school. He managed to stand out from the field at every national camp and had a knack for putting the ball where only his receiver could get to it. I still think he’ll find success as a pro because the tools he displayed in high school certainly didn’t just vanish. We’ll see.
9. PATRICK SURTAIN
One of the most physically imposing cornerbacks I can remember, Surtain had a college-ready body in high school and had track speed to go along with it. He played in a loaded secondary that included multiple SEC-bound prospects and still was rarely thrown at in high school. Surtain was as well-rounded a corner as I’ve ever seen in high school and was rarely beaten in the (many) games I attended over two seasons.
10. KYLEE RINGO
I’m betting on measurables with Ringo and I don’t mind doing it at all. At 6-foot-3, 195-pounds, Ringo has twice won the fastest man competition at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas. This year, the hulking defensive back ripped off a laser-to-laser 4.3 40-yard dash that made everyone’s jaw drop. Is he a polished cover corner just yet? No, but a college staff shouldn’t have any trouble turning him into one when you consider the hyper-rare physical tools at his disposal. Ringo may still be in high school, but everything about him screams first-round pick.
