Gorney: The 10 best prospects I've ever scouted
This week, we’re looking back at the best prospects that our recruiting analysts have ever scouted. Today's list is provided by National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney, who joined Rivals.com in 2010.
RELATED: Top 10 prospects Sam Spiegelman has ever scouted | Adam Friedman's top 10
1. JADEVEON CLOWNEY
When I first moved across the country to take the West recruiting analyst job in 2010, I flew back to interview and cover Clowney in the Shrine Bowl. It was an unforgettable experience because he was so amazingly fast off the snap that it looked like he was offsides on every play. Maybe the most notable thing about Clowney from an evaluation standpoint was that he looked like an NFL player when he was in high school - his size, physical ability and athletic prowess was just off the charts.
2. TREVOR LAWRENCE
Before I saw Lawrence in person, there were people at Rivals who compared him to an athletic Peyton Manning and I thought, ‘"Here we go. What other insane comps can be made?" But what stood out to me most about Lawrence as I saw him at numerous events was that he was calm like a surgeon on the field, he had surprising athleticism for his size, he threw perfect passes and he almost never, ever made mistakes. For someone at that age to be so advanced and cool in pressure situations, it was amazing to see. On the field, Lawrence was great and off it he always seemed bigger than the moment, so nothing could shake him.
3. MYLES GARRETT
Other than Clowney, Garrett has been the best defensive end I’ve seen and he really solidified my opinion that he was No. 1 in that 2014 class after his performance all week at the Under Armour Game. He finished No. 2, so it’s hardly a miss, but he was so dominant in the game, he truly did whatever he wanted to do off the edge and that was coming off an awesome week of practice. I didn’t have a ton of in-person evaluation of Garrett through the process, but he was so long, athletic and physical, there was nobody on the high school - or college level for that matter - who had a chance against him.
4. JUSTIN FLOWE
This might be high for Flowe, but I have watched him for at least three years now and there has not been a single time he has even had an average performance. I remember seeing him as a sophomore in a game against rival Rancho Cucamonga and it was like he made every single tackle for Upland’s defense. He has the look in his eyes that Mike Tyson used to have when he entered the boxing ring. Flowe wants to go out and not only make tackles but punish people for even thinking about lining up against him. That kind of mentality will take him far if he stays focused. He’s just been insanely fun to watch.
5. ADOREE' JACKSON
It’s funny to watch Jackson on Sundays now with the Tennessee Titans because I remember interviewing him once at Serra and he was wearing a Burger King paper crown. Jackson was always very affable and forthcoming when talking to him and he was always bright and excited about everything.
On the field he was so fun to watch, too, because he was so much more athletic than everybody else and he knew it. He once picked off a pass and high-stepped from about 30 yards out into the end zone. Flags flew everywhere and the ball came back out but it was cool to see from the sidelines. He’s a great cornerback and return specialist, but I thought he could be fantastic at receiver as well.
6. SU'A CRAVENS
Cravens is the only person I’ve ever seen on the high school level who could diagram the offense and get into position as a safety to make a play on the ball before even the receivers got into position. He did that all the time when I’d watch him in games and he’d either pick off the pass or at the very least tip it away. It was uncanny how he was always in the right spot even before the offensive player was there. What I also remember about Cravens was that he wasn’t the fastest player on the field but he was so smooth and he could cover ground like nobody else.
7. D.J. UIAGALELEI
When I first saw Uiagalelei he was a huge kid with a big arm that threw everything 100 miles per hour. Short passes - zoom - the ball would be there in a second. But he also overthrew a lot of receivers because he just gunned it down the field.
But over the course of a few years, Uiagalelei has refined his game so much that he still has all that power when needed but he can dial it back, put some air under his throws and put the ball on the money almost all the time. He’s another quarterback who almost never gets rattled, takes to coaching and has all the tools to be something special down the road. I once asked a Bosco coach whether they’d take Josh Rosen or Uiagalelei if they had the chance … but I was sworn to secrecy as to which one he preferred.
8. SHAQ THOMPSON
Shortly after getting the job in the West in 2010, I went up to see Sacramento Grant play a game in the fall, and I was basically there to see Thompson in person. I thought he was a five-star running back, forget about safety, so when Washington coach Chris Petersen said Thompson’s best position was running back I wasn’t surprised at all. Thompson was so big, but he was freaky athletic all over the field, he loved to hit and he had a passion for always being on the field to make an impact. Cal missed out on him twice, but Washington got him and he was excellent for the Huskies.
9. AMON-RA ST. BROWN
Watching St. Brown come through the ranks was interesting because I covered his two brothers, Equanimeous and Osiris, and the chatter all along was, "Wait until you see Amon-Ra, he’s by far the best of the bunch." I took a skeptical view, so he could prove it for himself and there’s no doubt the third time was the charm.
The other St. Brown boys were excellent receivers but Amon-Ra was super special on the high school level and he’s poised for an even bigger year at USC this season. Late in his high school career, St. Brown took to punting the ball every time he scored a touchdown on the camp circuit, and it got tiring to see because he scored so many times. But he’s unstoppable in one-on-one situations.
10. NAJEE HARRIS
In this business, whenever somebody says, “I got a guy,” it makes you cringe a little bit, but when I heard that about Harris, I was excited to see him in person - and to have other Rivals analysts there as well because I knew the kid was special. He moved so well for someone who was 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds and he even could have been in the conversation as a five-star receiver because he dominated when he moved outside. I suspect he will have a big year at Alabama and get into the first-round conversation because he has such great size and athletic ability.