Future 50: Ten prospects who stood out at Future 50
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Future 50 is a camp setting where 50 of the top prospects in the 2021 class compete, and many will be back next January playing inside Camping World Stadium as an Under Armour All-American.
Rivals.com was in attendance Thursday afternoon and here are 10 names that stood out.
MORE FUTURE 50: Farrell's sideline observations
Derrick Davis was one of the biggest defensive backs at the camp, but it didn't slow him down. The safety has linebacker size and was very physical with receivers in one-on-ones. He did a good job disrupting the timing between the quarterbacks and receivers, especially in the team red zone drills. Davis, who is looking closely at Clemson, Penn State, and Ohio State, knows how to use his length to close passing lanes.
Quaydarius Davis is a unique receiver because he was the skill set of a small slot receiver but, at about 6-feet tall and a muscled up 200-pounds, he is a tough matchup as an outside receiver. The former SMU and Texas commit did a great job finding soft spots in zone coverage and quarterbacks tended to look for him when he was on the field. There were very few defensive backs that could effectively jam Davis at the line of scrimmage and he made the ones that tried pay with big downfield catches.
Giovanni El-Hadi looked extremely comfortable in this setting, and he should be proud of his performance. The Michigan commit had success against both the bigger, strong ends and the ones that were more about speed. He always played under control, he kept his feet under him, and he won a lot of reps against elite defensive linemen. He was clearly one of the more consistent performers on the line throughout the day.
There were a few defensive backs that could make this list, but none were as dominant as Grimes. Every defensive back gave up some catches, but Grimes seemed to get better as the day went on and by the end of the camp he was locking receivers down. In the last session he batted down multiple passes thrown in the end zone and grabbed an interception on a pass thrown in front of him. Texas A&M, Penn State, and Clemson are in the best position for him right now.
Terrence Lewis still needs to add size, but linebackers don’t come more explosive or agile than the Rivals100 prospect. He stood out in drills and has clearly improved when it comes to his coverage skills. A four-star prospect, Lewis has sky-high potential if he can add more muscle in the year ahead. The Miami Northwestern product was the most impressive linebacker at Thursday’s event and seems to be improving month to month. Lewis is seen as a Florida lean but Nebraska, LSU and others also remain involved.
Tywone Malone moves incredibly well for a man of his massive size and showed off his agility on Thursday. Instead of relying on power, the 296-pound defensive tackle showcased his quickness and wowed every onlooker in the process. Malone is a rare blend of size and speed who also shines on the baseball field playing first base for his high school. Malone is interested in Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan.
Tyreak Sapp had a motor that was non-stop, and that stood out early. As he went through drills, he competed with energy, determination and even let out some grunts as he hit the bags. The Florida commit may not be the longest, and some could label him a tweener between end or future tackle, but he showed he is among the top 2021 defensive linemen in the country in this event. He is strong, he played with leverage and he showed the ability to win reps inside and outside.
Maason Smith is ranked No. 10 in the country today, but is that too low? This young man checked every box in the camp setting. Not only was he one of the biggest prospects out there, but he showed quickness, agility and some moves off the ball. It was easy to see why Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and many others are in pursuit. Smith is an elite talent and it showed throughout the Future 50.
The quarterback group at the camp was outstanding and, frankly, better than the ones playing in the Under Armour game. Caleb Williams was the best of the bunch. He was more fluid, more consistent, and threw better on the run. He had a lot of success in one-on-ones and in the team red zone drills, where he found open receivers and got them the ball with room to run.
What Mario Williams lacks in size, he makes up for his hands and explosiveness. This has always been the case with the Florida-based wideout, but he spent Thursday proving it once again. He shines in one-on-ones because he’s too explosive to cover with a single defensive back and adjusts well enough to bail quarterbacks out of bad throws. Williams is high on LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma.