Friedman: The best prospects I have ever scouted
This week, we’re looking back at the best prospects that our recruiting analysts have ever scouted. On Monday, Texas and Louisiana Recruiting Analyst Sam Spiegelman broke down his top 10, and today Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman, who started his career in 2012, takes a look at his list.
RELATED: The top 10 prospects Sam Spiegelman has ever scouted
1. TREVOR LAWRENCE
There may only be one or two players better than Lawrence to come out of high school since Rivals.com came into existence, but they were before my time. For me, it’s Lawrence and then everybody else. He’s the type of player that seemed like he was created in a laboratory and never seemed to miss a throw.
Every time I saw Lawrence at a camp, 7-on-7 or the Army All-American Bowl his senior year, he just had a way of making things happen. It could have been a perfectly placed throw down the field or some slight move in the pocket to buy a few more seconds to find a receiver. In my time, there hasn’t been a more impressive, consistent or rare prospect that I’ve come across.
2. MICAH PARSONS
The cliché “he could do anything he wanted to on the field” might as well have been invented to describe Parsons. Just a two-hour drive from home for me, I drove to Harrisburg to see a few of Parsons’ games during his career and he never disappointed. The first time I went to one of his games was in the remnants of a hurricane that blew through the Mid-Atlantic and he put on a show. The last game I saw him play in person before the Army All-American Bowl, Parsons played defensive end, linebacker, running back, kicker, and was the returner for punts and kickoffs. He scored five touchdowns, one of which came on a kick return, recorded a safety, had a sack, multiple tackles for a loss and was named homecoming king.
3. QUENTON NELSON
Nelson was an absolute monster coming out of high school and he was one of those no-brainers when it came to his ranking. He dominated in every setting, but the first time we saw him at one of the New Jersey Rivals Camps, he just blew us away. Technically sound, as strong as they come, and with no regard for the well-being of his opponent, Nelson quickly let it be known that he was a force to be reckoned with.
4. MINKAH FITZPATRICK
Much like Lawrence, Fitzpatrick was one of those players that you knew was special the first time you saw him. We loved his versatility in the secondary and during his senior year he played cornerback, safety and linebacker. The best part of watching and talking to Fitzpatrick was that he seemed to always know what the offense was going to do. A truly special level of instincts and football IQ combined with exceptional physical talent.
5. PATRICK SURTAIN
I didn’t get to see Surtain much since he was from Florida, but I remember being blown away by his natural abilities and skill set. They just don’t make cornerbacks that are as tall, long, or as quick as him but beyond that, Surtain also adapted his game to his opponent. He was physical when he needed to be and used his pure speed when matching up with smaller receivers, never missing a beat.
6. RASHAN GARY
Gary first got on the map at the New Jersey Rivals Camp in the spring of 2013 and never looked back. He was the consensus No. 1 player in the nation and backed it up with a special blend of size and athleticism. I remember his versatility was the main reason we kept him at the top of the Rivals100 and that same reason was a big part of why he has been game-planned against since he was a young player.
Gary was dominant as a defensive tackle, defensive end and edge player at the high school level and that obviously carried over to college. Now the 6-foot-5, 290-pound high school defensive tackle is listed as a linebacker with the Green Bay Packers.
7. DEXTER LAWRENCE
Remember, Gary didn’t go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 player in the Rivals100. Lawrence was the first No. 1 when the 2016 Rivals100 was initially released, but luckily there wasn’t a wrong choice between the two. I haven’t come across a defensive lineman as big as Lawrence that was as quick or powerful as him.
I vividly remember going to an epic state championship game in 2015 where Lawrence, who was clearly the most dominant player with double-digit Power Five prospects elsewhere on the field, busting through the middle to block a punt and an extra point.
8. ISAIAH WILSON
Out of all the players I’ve ever seen, Wilson is the most freakish combination of size, strength and athleticism. As mean as they come on the field but a very thoughtful and intelligent person off it, Wilson was exceptionally quick for a player that was 6-foot-8, 354-pounds.
He was what I like to call a “people mover” and once he got his huge hands on a defensive lineman, he could push them wherever he wanted. I’ll never forget seeing this massive human being doing a 40-inch box jump without breaking a sweat.
9. CHRISTIAN WILKINS
Not many people saw Wilkins before he arrived at the Under Armour All-America Game at the end of his senior season, but everything we did see up to that point was outrageously impressive. Another “do anything he wanted to on the field” prospect, Wilkins crushed the competition in the Connecticut private school league and even played on the very competitive basketball team at Suffield Academy, where he could be seen throwing down 360-degree dunks.
I remember watching him at the Under Armour All-America Game block an extra point and return it for two points, out running everybody on the field. That is still one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen from a defensive lineman.
10. DA'SHAWN HAND
One of the most controversial No. 1 prospects in the history of the Rivals100, Hand is still one of the best high school players I’ve seen. He had the skill set, technique, strength and football IQ to be a great college player and he proved it on the field time and time again.
He went to dozens of camps and never disappointed. He was excellent at the Under Armour All-America Game at the end of his senior season but I remember a game of his I went to during his junior year that was just unbelievable. Hand played defensive tackle and defensive end in what turned out to be a triple or quadruple overtime game against his team’s rival. He finished with something like 15 or 20 tackles in that game.