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Five West prospects under the rankings microscope

The fluid process of ranking and re-ranking prospects is heading into an exciting period, the spring camp season. Players will be participating in countless camps, combines and 7-on-7 tournaments over the next few months. Here are five prospects from the West that will be under the microscope this spring.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE PROSPECTS: Southeast | Florida | Mid-Atlantic

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The top-ranked wide receiver in the 2018 class is already being pushed by fellow five-star Amon-Ra St. Brown. Hall is a physical specimen who has the potential to absolutely dominate as an outside receiver but sometimes fades and doesn’t take over like he should. St. Brown is almost impossible to defend in one-on-one situations but doesn’t have the same physical prowess as Hall. There are so many upcoming tournaments where both could prove their worth and it could determine which one leads the rankings heading into fall.

The top of the cornerback rankings is absolutely loaded with five-stars Patrick Surtain and Anthony Cook leading the way but Taylor-Stuart is not far behind, if at all, and he could continue to push for five-star status through this offseason. Every time we’ve seen Taylor-Stuart, who remains wide open in his recruitment, he is a lockdown corner with excellent size and athleticism who can turn and run with anybody. There are a ton of good corners in the 2018 class and Taylor-Stuart has proven to be right up there with the best of them.

After seeing Williams at the recent adidas 7v7 West Coast Invitational, it was clear he was a four-star prospect and he made his way into the Rivals250. The Lancaster (Calif.) Antelope Valley recruit has a chance to keep moving up – and quickly. At 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds, Williams is a long, rangy prospect who shined at receiver but could also move to safety or outside linebacker and have an impact there. Alabama, Florida State, USC and many others have already offered and if Williams keeps performing well this offseason then he can move up the charts quickly.

Another great-looking prospect in the West is Addison, who was absolutely phenomenal at the Los Angeles Under Armour Camp playing safety. Addison is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound recruit so he’s still lean but incredibly rangy, he covers ground really well playing safety and he has a nose for the football. At his size, with his length and athleticism, Addison could really become a high-level player in the West. USC, UCLA and Nebraska have caught his attention early but watch out for Oregon as well.

Murray is a wide-bodied offensive guard who has great hands and is a physical presence, so the three-star could be fighting for four-star status if he continues to dominate lineman camps this offseason. The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei recruit needs to do a better job of moving laterally sometimes against quicker defensive tackles but he’s a strong kid who has nice size and is athletic so he could emerge as one of the best interior offensive linemen in the West this recruiting cycle. Cal, UCLA, Washington and many others are already involved.

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