Defensive prospects to watch at the NextGen Five-Star Pro Day

Nearly 100 of the nation’s top underclassmen will compete this week at The NextGen Five-Star Pro Day, selected by Rivals. With so much talent arriving in Atlanta for the event, national recruiting analyst Greg Smith has five defensive prospects to watch.

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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

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Blount has a huge wingspan and a terrific frame on the defensive line. He’s extremely difficult to block with one high school offensive lineman even against all-star competition. Will he dominate another group of linemen that includes some star-studded names? We’ll see this week.

Every major program in the country covets him. Alabama, Ohio State and the Florida programs have his interest.

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Burgess is a good-looking prospect from the Midwest. He could really help himself this week. He’s a raw player that has been a big riser in the rankings recently but still has room to keep climbing. Burgess has the size and athleticism to make a college very happy when he picks a school.

Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame have all hosted the Chicago native multiple times on visits.

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If you want a name to know for the 2026 recruiting class along the defensive line, keep an eye on Carey. He’s already built like a college freshman at 6-foot-4, 282 pounds. I’m eager to see how well he moves in person. He’s a force in the middle of a defense now but might just be scratching the surface of what he can do.

Carey already holds more than 20 scholarship offers including Georgia, LSU and Penn State.

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Jones is another player that has a good ranking but can continue to improve his stock. He’s been on the camp circuit this summer and was recently offered by Texas A&M after camping in College Station.

Seeing him against elite competition will give a good gauge on just how good the Omaha (Neb.) Westside linebacker really is. Jones is on the verge of becoming the latest major national prospect out of Nebraska.

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On the field the 6-foot-4, 170-pound safety is exactly the type of hybrid player that colleges want. He can run well enough to hold up in coverage but is also able to help in run support. The five-star could even grow into more of a rover depending on the scheme he gets into.

Oregon and Michigan have the Florida native’s attention. It’s going to be a fight for any of the Florida schools to keep him home.