From the Road: Winston has special skills
Rivals.com recruiting analysts were out again this past weekend, taking in games or scrimmages involving some of the nation's top prospects.
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We take a closer look at West Helena (Ark.) Central cornerback Darius Winston and some of the other top Class of 2009 defensive prospects they saw in person, listed alphabetically.
PROSPECT EVALUATIONS: DEFENSE
LB TELVION CLARK (6-1/210), Norfolk (Va.) Granby
COMMITTED TO: Virginia Tech
PERFORMANCE: Clark had 18 tackles and three tackles for a loss in Granby's 19-0 loss to Hampton (Va.) High.
STRENGTHS: Clark is a sure tackler with outstanding speed and good instincts. He showed impressive ability to scrape off blocks for much of the day and missed only one tackle. He's aggressive in pursuit and stayed under control.
WEAKNESSES: Clark struggled a bit when the line got to the second level and pushed him around. He still showed some signs of over-pursuit, but far less than a week ago. – MIKE FARRELL
LB ANDREW WILSON (6-4/230), Peculiar (Mo.) Raymore-Peculiar
COMMITTED TO: Missouri
PERFORMANCE: Set up a late touchdown with a 31-yard fumble recovery that he almost took back for the touchdown.
STRENGTHS: Is one of the hardest-hitting linebackers in nation. A destroyer on special teams, he went flying through the air on one play to get the returner. One his hits caused the Ray-Pec crowd to chant "You got lit up" over and over.
WEAKNESSES: Isn't the fastest linebacker around and will have a hard time keeping up when the play stretches to the outside or when going against a spread offense. – JEREMY CRABTREE
DE TYREL WILSON (6-3/217), Hampton (Va.) High
CONSIDERING: Virginia Tech, Tennessee
PERFORMANCE: Wilson had 13 tackles with 2 for a loss in Hampton's 19-0 victory over Norfolk (Va.) Granby.
STRENGTHS: Wilson is an instinctive and heady player who is outstanding in filling the gaps. He shows good strength and push as he drives through opponents, and is a physical tackler.
WEAKNESSES: Wilson clearly is a linebacker, not an end. He can be a bit stiff in coverage. – M.F.
CB DARIUS WINSTON (6-0/180), West Helena (Ark.) Central
»SIMMONS' PLAYER OF THE WEEK
COMMITTED TO: Arkansas
PERFORMANCE: Pulaski (Ark.) Academy threw the ball all night but only tested Winston four times. He still managed to snag one interception and nearly pulled in a second in leading his team to a huge 5A victory.
STRENGTHS: His body stays low in everything he does. He has great instincts. Both times he got his hands on the ball, he had drifted off of the man he was covering. Uses his hands extremely well. Has phenomenal feet and he wants to be challenged.
WEAKNESSES: He is not natural catching the ball, though he is recovering from a broken pinkie that may limit his ball skills slightly. – BARTON SIMMONS
UP NEXT: Class of 2009 underclassmen from the weekend.
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