Crouch sits atop state of North Carolina's all-time prospect list

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

With Quavaris Crouch now ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2019 class, the landscape of our all-time Rivals.com North Carolina Top 10 has changed quite a bit. Here’s a look at the highest ranked players to come out of the Tar Heel state led by this year’s top dog.

RELATED: State of Georgia's all-time prospects

The skinny: Crouch does not seem to be in any rush with his recruiting process, even though he did take visits to Clemson, Tennessee and North Carolina in January. Aside from these three schools, Alabama, Michigan and South Carolina are also considered major players at this time. Look for a list of favorites from Crouch in June or July, but as mentioned, an early final decision is not likely.

Farrell’s take: Crouch reminds some of Von Miller on defense and Bo Scarbrough on offense, but to me he’s a taller Ernie Sims, who could have played running back or linebacker. Sims went on to be a first-rounder at linebacker and have a solid NFL career and with Crouch’s physical abilities, he has a chance to be even better. He’s not a surefire lock to remain No. 1 in 2019, but he’s a special athlete regardless and will likely remain in this top 10 overall even with four ranking cycles left.

The skinny: Lawrence took official visits to Clemson, Florida, Ohio State, NC State and Alabama before committing to the Tigers. Florida was seen as an early favorite for Lawrence, while NC State made a serious late push for the in-state five-star. Since he enrolled early at Clemson, Lawrence has been a terror on the defensive line for the Tigers. Heading into his third collegiate season, Lawrence will be expected to be one of the top interior defensive linemen in the country this fall.

Farrell’s take: Lawrence was a massive high school prospect, tall and big, who had exceptional pass-rushing moves and worked off contact extremely well. He had light feet, always had a counter for whatever an offensive lineman threw at him and was well schooled in the nuances of the position. He has the potential to be a great one at the NFL level and is already showing how his talents translate to college football. He was No. 1 overall for us in the nation like Crouch at one point and it was a toss-up between him and Rashan Gary in the end for that top spot.

The skinny: Soon after trimming his list to Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina and Clemson in early July, Humphries surprised some by making a commitment to the Gators. Despite his lack of consistent production in Gainesville, he was still selected with the No. 24 overall pick by Arizona in the 2015 Draft. Humphries did not play a single snap as a rookie, but after showing promise in 2016 he began the 2017 season as the starting left tackle for the Cardinals. However, multiple injuries derailed Humphries’ season, as he only played in parts of five games.

Farrell’s take: Humphries was a very young prospect for his grade in high school and has off-the-charts athleticism and upside. His footwork was amazing, his ability to recover and re-set was astonishing and he had a great frame to fill out. He looked like a big, athletic tight end playing tackle. While he had to work a bit on his aggressiveness, there was no question he would succeed at the next level and be a potential first rounder. Injuries hurt him a bit and he’s still finding his way in the NFL, but he’s one of the most athletic tackles I’ve ever scouted.

The skinny: Allen initially committed to Alabama over Oregon and Clemson in November, however, the possibility of playing with his brother, Zach Maynard, who was transferring out of Buffalo, quickly changed everything. After both took an official visit to Cal in late January, Allen officially flipped to the Golden Bears. Despite a very productive collegiate career, Allen fell into the third round of the 2013 Draft due to concerns regarding a knee injury. While he has dealt with some injuries, Allen has been extremely productive for the Chargers when healthy. He is coming off his best professional season, with 102 receptions for 1,393 yards and six touchdowns.

Farrell’s take: We saw Allen as a safety at the next level and initially so did most schools. But when he made it clear he wanted to play wide receiver, even defensive back guru Nick Saban was fine with that. However, Allen was destined to play with his brother and Cal became the place. I had my doubts regarding how special he could be at wide receiver especially considering how fluid and effortless he made playing safety look, but he proved to be an amazing wide out as well. Everything he did was so easy in high school, from picking off or catching passes to running down plays that he remains one of the most fluid athletes I’ve seen. He just had his breakout NFL season and his ceiling is amazing.

The skinny: Bullard took official visits to Florida, Clemson, South Carolina and Nebraska, before committing to the Gators. While he lacked consistency during time in Gainesville, Bullard showcased his potential during his final season with 63 tackles and 18 tackles for a loss. Drafted in the third round by Chicago in 2016, he has failed to make a serious impact with the Bears through his first two seasons. Totaling 44 tackles and two sacks to this point, 2018 will be an important season for Bullard in the Windy City.

Farrell’s take: I remember the first time I saw Bullard in person and I immediately felt he was a five-star prospect. Between his impressive film, his basketball feet and build and superior athletic ability, he was a special prospect. But the best part was that he was still learning how to play the game and his ceiling was so high. Bullard had zero idea at the time how good he could be and was stunned when informed he was a five-star prospect. He took that work ethic and attitude with him to college and now to the NFL. I thought the Bears got an absolute steal here, as this was a tackle with defensive end agility to me, but so far he’s been just average.

The skinny: While White considered several schools, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama and North Carolina were the four that pulled away from the pack. A late push by the Tar Heels, which included a visit to campus in early June, closed the gap, but when it was time to make a final decision it was the Bulldogs that pulled out the recruiting victory.

Farrell’s take: Nicknamed “Zeus”, White was a physical specimen from an early age as a running back and had exception skills in person and on film. He missed some of his senior season with a knee injury but that didn’t drop his stock that much. He’s not one of the top five running backs I’ve ever scouted, but he’s in that discussion for the next five. Fast, powerful and with good vision, he’s special.

The skinny: While he also took official visits to North Carolina, Florida State, Oklahoma State and Virginia, Pressley was always considered a heavy NC State lean. So when he committed to the Wolfpack on Signing Day, it did not come as a surprise to most people. After three consistent, yet unspectacular, seasons in Raleigh, Pressley was selected in the fifth round of the 2008 Draft by New Orleans. Pressley helped the Saints to the Super Bowl in his one full season in New Orleans, but then failed to catch one at Houston, Carolina, Denver, Chicago and Indianapolis before seeing his playing days come to an end prior to the start of the 2012 season.

Farrell’s take: Pressley was a superior athlete for his size with plenty of room to grow as a high school prospect, but he took a while to develop and never reached his full potential. He does have a Super Bowl ring, however, so all was not lost, but I expected so much more from his career in college and beyond because of how quick and explosive he was off the snap in high school.

The skinny: Spikes took official visits to Florida, Virginia Tech and Alabama, which led to his commitment to the Gators during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. After being named First Team All-American twice, while helping the Gators to two National Championships, Spikes was selected in the second round of the 2010 Draft by New England. Spikes had four productive seasons with the Patriots and then one with Buffalo. After a season away from football, Spikes saw minimal playing time back with the Bills in 2016, before again not playing in 2017.

Farrell’s take: Spikes was a monster in high school, a tall, long and massive inside backer who thumped everyone when he was coming downhill. He covered a lot of ground, arrived at the football with anger and was deceptively good at cutting down passing angles with his ability in pass coverage. It’s no surprise he was a college star and I am a bit stunned he wasn’t more of an NFL standout. He was one of the most physically impressive linebackers I’ve seen in high school

The skinny: Crisp gave his commitment to N.C. State 10 months prior to National Signing Day and never wavered despite holding nearly 40 offers. With the Wolfpack, he was never able to meet expectations, as his time in Raleigh was marred by injuries and lackluster play. All of this led him to go undrafted in 2015. Crisp had opportunities with both Arizona and New Orleans in 2015 and 2016, successfully making both practice squads, but has yet to see any game action and is currently a free agent.

Farrell’s take: This is a puzzling one, and I guess the injuries speak to it, but Crisp had it all. He was tall, long and had very good feet and he was going to a coach in Tom O’Brien who made offensive linemen great. I remember watching him hold his own against beasts like Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd and Owamagbe Odighizuwa in the 100-degree heat in Deland, Fla., at the Top Gun event and feeling that he had more of an edge to him than I expected. It was at that point I was convinced he had the work ethic and toughness to be a star, backing up his high school film. I guess it never materialized for him, which is a shame, because he was such a high-class and high-character kid.

The skinny: Moss was an early commitment to North Carolina, and while he did listen to other schools, he never seriously wavered. Moss showed great potential with the Tar Heels, but some off-the-field issues and a disappointing junior season, which ended with a torn ACL, soured his time in Chapel Hill. Despite these issues, he still declared for the NFL Draft early. After not being drafted largely because of work ethic concerns and some idiotic tweets from Shreveport at the Independence Bowl, he has had stops in the UFL, CFL and Arena League, where he last played with Orlando in 2016.

Farrell’s take: This was an amazing athlete with a me-first attitude and very little common sense, and it’s a shame because when I think of the word freak defensive end, Moss is up there with guys like Jadeveon Clowney and others. He could have been an amazing hybrid prospect and had the talent to be a high first-rounder if he could have kept his head on straight. He had issues with teammates and off-field stuff from the start of his UNC career, never became a consistent player, had that knee injury and then sent those tweets. Game over.