Advertisement
football Edit

Five-Star Challenge: Prospect that will outperform his ranking

The Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour is less than two weeks away. Prospects from across the country will converge on Atlanta to test their mettle against the nation's best at the Georgia Dome. Which prospects will outperform their rankings? The Rivals.com analyst team weighs in.

RELATED: Five-Star Challenge roster | Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour

Mike Farrell: WR Jamire Calvin

Advertisement

Farrell's take: Calvin may not be big, but he is fast and, like most California prospects, plays 7-on-7 all the time. I can see him having a huge impact as a slot receiver for a team in Atlanta. Those smaller, quicker guys -- such as Sam Bruce, Demetris Robertson and Trevon Sidney -- have done well in the past. Someone will emerge as that guy and as one of the lower ranked wideouts, it could be Calvin who surprises and plays better than his current ranking.

Adam Gorney: WR Mark Webb

Gorney's take: What I saw out of Webb at the Rivals Camp Series in New Jersey leads me to believe he could really surprise a lot of people at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour. The four-star has great speed down the field, he's an excellent route runner and seems to be able to get open against just about anybody. He works well against physical corners and runs by most smaller guys plus he can high-point the ball against them. Webb could have a really big weekend in Atlanta and shoot up the rankings because he was really impressive in Jersey.

Rob Cassidy: DE Owen Carney

Cassidy's take: Carney was the MVP of the Rivals Camp Series in Miami and seems to be adding size by the week. Add in the fact that he’s played a full spring at his new high school, national powerhouse Miami Central, and he could be in for a breakout performance. Carney is not even close to the most heralded prospect coming to the event, but the fact that he runs up against top-flight competition every day in workouts helps him progress.

Adam Friedman: DE Jordan Williams and LB Avery Roberts

Friedman's take: I'm going to be selfish here and pick two guys from the Mid-Atlantic. Williams and Roberts are currently four-star prospects but aren't in the Rivals250. That will likely change when the rankings are updated in the near future. I expect both to open eyes in Atlanta and push their rankings even higher.

Josh Helmholdt: OL Marquis Hayes

Helmholdt's take: The post-spring camp rankings update will happen between when I am writing this and the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour, but based on where prospects are rated today, there are a couple three-star candidates that stick out to me. I'm going to pick Hayes. Ranked as the No. 17 offensive guard in the 2017 class when he took home offensive line MVP honors at the Rivals Camp Series in Kansas City, Hayes has a legitimately rare and devastating initial punch and if he can keep his pad level low and stay mindful of technique, he should have great success in Atlanta.

Nick Krueger: OL Walker Little

Krueger's take: Little already came into the Rivals Camp Series event in Dallas a four-star prospect, but he dominated at his position at a truly elite level. Little took upwards of 15 1-on-1 reps against defensive linemen and won them all except for one -- against teammate and top player in the country, Marvin Wilson. Little showed great balance, strength and ability to react to any move opponents tried to get around him with, which made for one of the most impressive performances of the Rivals Camp Series, hands down.

Woody Wommack: OL Cade Mays

Wommack's take: This question is a tough one because we just updated the rankings, so several of the players that would normally seem like an easy pick are already off the board having just moved up. For my pick, I'll reach into the 2018 class and select Mays. He's currently ranked well within the Rivals100 in 2018, so it's not like he's a sleeper, but as an underclassman, some people might not expect him to dominate like he will at the event. Mays could leave the event with his spot as one of the top linemen in his class fully cemented.

Advertisement