1/21/2016 football Edit

Farrell Postseason 50: Nos. 6-10

Mike Farrell and Mark Pszonak

Rivals.com

With the college football season in the books, Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell releases his postseason Farrell 50, the top 50 college football players in the country. This list is based on this year's performance balanced with the level of competition each player has faced and how they've fared when the pressure is on.

Today’s countdown: Nos. 6-10

10. CB Mackensie Alexander, Clemson | Immokalee, Fla. (4-star, 2013)

The skinny: No. 42 overall, the No. 7 cornerback and the No. 8 recruit from Florida, Alexander’s recruiting process was rather hectic. He took official visits to Clemson, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Rutgers, and changed his favorites numerous times, but finally committed to the Tigers. Alexander is proof that sometimes it’s necessary to look past the stats to see the true worth of a player. Finishing with 23 tackles, two tackles for a loss and five passes defended, Alexander has become one of the top shutdown cornerbacks in the country, for a defense that improved by the week.

Farrell’s take: Alexander's numbers are worse than any other cornerback on this list and it's because he's avoided more than anyone, the bigger names included. He has proven to be a true lockdown cornerback who is targeted maybe once or twice a game by lesser opponents and rises to the occasion more often than not when opponents do decide to go at him. He leads a secondary that was near the top in the country when it came to opponents' completion percentage and helped put his team in the mix for a national title.

9. DE Carl Nassib, Penn State | Malvern (Pa.) Malvern Prep (not ranked)

The skinny: Nassib was not ranked nationally, at his position or in Pennsylvania. Nassib was a walk-on at Penn State and first saw playing time in 2013. He became one of the great stories of the 2015 season, going from being a walk-on to winning the Lombardi Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best lineman. He dominated this fall with 46 tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and one interception

Farrell’s take: A tall walk-on being snubbed by the world to dominate at the college level and beyond? Sounds familiar. The comparisons to J.J. Watt are still premature, but each time I see Nassib, I believe a little more. His shoulder dip and explosion to the quarterback is amazing and his length disrupts passing lanes. He can do it all, which makes it so amazing that no one, not me or anyone else, knew he was this good and scholarship worthy. Penn State either saw something no one else did or lucked out.

8. QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma | Austin (Tex.) Lake Travis (3-star, Class of 2013)

The skinny: Mayfield was not ranked nationally, at his position or in Texas. Despite earning offers from Washington State, Rice and Florida Atlantic, Mayfield ended up walking on at Texas Tech. Mayfield became an immediate starter for the Red Raiders as a walk-on. However, after winning Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors, Mayfield decided to transfer to Oklahoma and enrolled in January of 2014. After sitting out in 2014, Mayfield flourished this season with the Sooners, passing for 3,700 yards and a Big 12-leading 36 touchdowns, while throwing only seven interceptions. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Farrell’s take: With a gunslinger’s mentality, Mayfield had a great high school career but many felt he was a system kid and he didn’t get a ton of offers. Now that he’s settled into the OU spread offense and is driving opponents crazy with his ability to extend the play and run when needed, he’s one of the top players in the country and is playing at a much higher level than expected. I’m happy with his three-star ranking since we saw something none of the local schools did.

7. RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State | St. Louis (Mo.) John Burroughs School (4-star, 2013)

The skinny: No. 84 overall, the No. 12 running back and the No. 1 recruit from Missouri, Elliott committed to Ohio State in late March over Missouri and Notre Dame after a visit to Columbus. Elliott did end up taking an official visit to Columbia a week before National Signing Day, but still signed with the Buckeyes despite his father having played at Mizzou. Our preseason No. 1 player, Elliott finished the season with with a Big Ten leading 1,821 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns, which propelled him to Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Farrell’s take: Elliott blew up at the end of last season and is a physical freak, but he wasn't that way in high school, not to this extent. In fact, his speed was a bit of a question mark overall. Despite that question, he was still a Rivals100 prospect and a player we liked very much. Elliott has been consistent this season but had the one bad game against Michigan State and his comments afterwards will haunt him for a while. He had a great season, but it was overshadowed by expectations. However, he’s still a Top 10 talent.

6. DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M | Arlington (Tex.) Martin (5-star, 2014)

The skinny: No. 2 overall, the No. 1 weakside defensive end and the No. 1 recruit from Texas, Garrett trimmed his list down to Texas A&M and TCU before committing to the Aggies during his senior season. After making a fantastic impression during his freshman season last fall, Garrett continued to dominate this fall with 59 tackles, 11.5 sacks, one interception and SEC leading 19.5 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles.

Farrell’s take: There was a heated debate in regards to who was No. 1 in the class of 2014 with many believing it was Garrett and it sure looks that way now. In the end, it was decided that Alabama sophomore Da’Shawn Hand should remain in the top spot with Garrett at No. 2 and time will tell how this plays out. But right now it’s not looking like a great decision. He's a freaky athlete who just needs to hold the edge against the run a bit better to be a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft.