8/18/2015 football Edit

Look back at Louisianas top 10 prospects

Mark Pszonak and Mike Farrell

Rivals.com

McKnight was ranked No. 2 nationally, behind only Jimmy Clausen, while he was ahead of Eric Berry, Ryan Mallett and Carlos Dunlap in the top 10. McKnight's recruiting process was an intense one, which lasted until National Signing Day when he signed with USC. Leaving home and spurning LSU was not an easy decision for McKnight, but the draw of the USC offense, the thought of being the next Reggie Bush and following his dreams of being a sports broadcaster in Los Angeles were too much for the Tigers to overcome. At USC, McKnight had a non-eventful freshman season, followed by a sophomore season full of injuries and inconsistent play. He began to showcase his potential during his junior season when he rushed for 1,014 yards and eight touchdowns, while grabbing 22 receptions for 146 yards. However, because of an NCAA investigation due to his use of a car, McKnight sat out the 2009 Emerald Bowl and then declared for the NFL Draft soon after. McKnight was selected with the 112th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft by the New York Jets, where he spent three seasons as a running back, on special teams and even at cornerback. He was waived by the Jets prior to the 2013 season after never being able to establish himself. After being out of football for the entire 2013 season, he was signed by Kansas City in early 2014. McKnight made an early impact for the Chiefs in 2014, but a torn Achilles' tendon cut his season short. He has not been re-signed by Kansas City at this point and is still a free agent as we head towards the 2015 season.

Farrell's Take: McKnight was an exceptional talent that some had rated No. 1 ahead of Clausen, although we had Clausen going bell-to-bell as the top guy. McKnight was never a power runner, but was amazing in space and had blazing speed and it was thought that he would be an amazing fit at USC as the heir apparent to Reggie Bush, but it never panned out. McKnight is one of the biggest busts as a No. 2 in Rivals history. Ironically, Bush was No. 2 just four years prior, but he obviously had a much better career. The fact that he never hit his stride at USC and never had a successful NFL career is puzzling and disappointing. This kid had all the talent in the world.

ATH

Dylan Moses

Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab School (No. 2 in the Class of 2017)

Moses is ranked No. 2 nationally, behind only Marvin Wilson, No. 1 in Louisiana and as the No. 1 athlete in the Class of 2017. While Moses is obviously still very young, he is no stranger to the spotlight as he first emerged back in 2012 at the LSU Camp as an eighth grader, when he outperformed many of the top upperclassmen in attendance. LSU, which actually offered him prior to the camp, was automatically considered the favorite due to its proximity to Moses. However, it wasn't expected that Moses would end his recruiting process as early as he did. Calling LSU his "dream school", Moses decided to end his process, even though he already had offers from the majority of the top programs in the country. However, in recent weeks Moses has de-committed from LSU and has opened the recruiting process. LSU still has a great chance here, but many feel Alabama could be the team to beat.

Farrell's Take: The biggest question with Moses still remains - what position will he play? That was the main reason he wasn't our initial No. 1 in the 2017 class despite his amazing athleticism. Some think he could grow into the next Jadeveon Clowney as a defensive end, while others feel he will be a dominant outside linebacker or a huge, physical running back. Regardless, he is one of the most gifted players I've ever seen in high school and he still has two years left. He was the most developed eighth grader I've seen back when LSU offered.

Early Doucet

St. Martinsville, La. (No. 3 in the Class of 2004)

Doucet was ranked No. 3 nationally, behind only Adrian Peterson and [db Ginn Jr.][Theodore Ginn, Jr.[/db], No. 1 in Louisiana and as the No. 1 wide receiver in the Class of 2004. Doucet, who was a high school star at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, had his choice of colleges during his recruiting process. He took official visits to Miami, Florida State and Oklahoma, but decided that his heart was back home in Louisiana, which is what led to his commitment to the Tigers in early January. After experiencing moderate success his first two years, Doucet broke out during his junior season with 59 receptions for 772 yards and eight touchdowns, which earned him Second Team All-SEC honors. He returned for his senior season in Baton Rouge and totaled 57 receptions for 525 yards and five touchdowns. Doucet was selected with the 81st overall pick in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent five seasons and finished with 139 receptions for 1,491 yards and seven touchdowns. He signed a free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013, but was soon waived, thus ending his NFL career.

Farrell's Take: Like Randle, Doucet was a tough projection as he played a lot of quarterback in high school, although he also played wide receiver and running back. Another exceptional athlete, Doucet was dominant at the high school level, but it was also a difficult transition for him to full-time wideout. A third rounder like Randle, Doucet had a nice, short career in the NFL, but it's a bit disappointing that he's already out of the game. As No. 3 overall, he didn't quite pan out as expected.

Leonard Fournette

New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine (No. 4 in the Class of 2014)

Fournette was ranked No. 4 nationally, behind only Da'Shawn Hand, Myles Garrett and Jabrill Peppers, No. 1 in Louisiana and as the No. 1 running back in the Class of 2014. Fournette was long rumored to be headed to LSU and finally ended any drama with a public commitment during the Under Armour All-America Game. While Alabama and Texas were both involved, Fournette's connection to LSU, who had offered him as a freshman, was too much for everyone else to overcome. As a true freshman at LSU last fall, after struggling for the first few weeks, Fournette quickly hit his stride by the end of September. Overall, he rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries, which gave a glimpse of what he is capable of at LSU and beyond. Fournette was a bit premature by doing a Heisman pose during his freshman season, but going into his sophomore season, there is serious talk of him being a viable candidate this fall.

Farrell's Take: Fournette is off to a great start and is handling the comparisons of some to Adrian Peterson well. My one question about him, his breakaway speed at the SEC level, was certainly answered his freshman year and he is expected to only get better. We could be looking at a top five NFL draft pick in a couple of years and a Heisman winner, so he could be the most successful player on this list.

La'El Collins

Baton Rouge (La.) Redemptorist (No. 6 in the Class of 2011)

Collins was ranked No. 6 nationally, No. 1 in Louisiana and as the No. 2 offensive tackle, behind only Cyrus Kouandjio, in the Class of 2014. Along with teammate Jeremy Hill, Collins was one of the first two commitments for LSU's Class of 2011 in September, 2009. While he never officially re-opened his recruiting process, he did take official visits to both Auburn and USC during his senior season. Even with these visits, Collins never seemed to seriously waver and signed with the Tigers. Collins played four seasons at LSU, starting 25 games at left tackle in 2013 and 2014. His best season was last Fall, when he earned First-Team All-SEC and several Second-Team All-American honors. Collins was set to be a first round draft pick earlier this year until his name came up during the investigation into the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. Even though he was never seen as a suspect, the drama surrounding the incident was enough to scare NFL teams away. As an undrafted free-agent, Collins signed with the Dallas Cowboys, where he will be fighting for playing time this fall.

Farrell's Take: Collins should have been a first-rounder and is playing that way early on with the Cowboys. A dominant blocker in high school with great size, he showed he could play on the inside early at LSU and then as an elite tackle later in his career. He was more physically ready for college and more filled out than Kouandjio, but not quite as high-level athletic and it was an interesting discussion as we ranked the two. Despite falling out of the draft, he's going to have an NFL career that lives up to his No. 6 ranking.

Tyron Johnson

New Orleans (La.) Warren Easton (No. 11 in the Class of 2015)

Johnson was ranked No. 11 nationally, No. 1 in Louisiana and as the No. 2 wide receiver, behind only Calvin Ridley, in the Class of 2015. For a good portion of his recruiting process, Johnson had a relatively surprising leader, Texas Tech. Because of the Red Raiders' passing attack and his relationship with Coach Kliff Kingsbury, TTU maintained this lead for several months. However, as the 2014 college season progressed, and Texas Tech floundered, Johnson began to focus on other schools. While the Red Raiders did stay in the picture until the end, Johnson made his decision to stay close to home and attend LSU during the Under Armour All-America Game. Johnson joins a deep and talented group of wide receivers at LSU, so it will be interesting to see how much playing time he receives this fall or if he redshirts.

Farrell's Take: Johnson was one of the best pure route-runners I've seen out of high school and he set up defensive backs very well, so I expect him to continue that success at the next level. He's not the biggest wideout and there is some serious competition in Baton Rouge, so it might take some time for him to emerge, but I fully expect him to combine with Malachi Dupre as a dominant 1-2 punch if LSU can figure out their quarterback issues. Ridley was always my No. 1, but we had Johnson as a five-star well before most others and it will be fun to follow his career and see if he succeeds at LSU instead of putting up pinball numbers for a poor Texas Tech team.

ATH

Chad Jones

hBaton Rouge (La.) Southern Lab (No. 14 in the Class of 2007)

Jones was ranked No. 14 nationally, No. 2 in Louisiana, behind only McKnight, and as the No. 1 athlete in the Class of 2007. Jones' athleticism and versatility made him one of the more intriguing recruits in the country. Jones kept an open mind throughout his recruiting process, but with his older brother, Rahim Alem, playing in Baton Rouge, he chose LSU over Florida and Florida State on National Signing Day. Aside from being a top football recruit, Jones was also seen as a legitimate Major League Baseball prospect, as proven when he was selected in the 13th round of the 2007 Draft by the Houston Astros. Having to make a decision between football and baseball, Jones decided to keep his commitment to LSU. He earned immediate playing time for the Tigers as a true freshman, finishing with 34 tackles and an interception during LSU's 2007 National Championship season. He totaled 50 tackles and an interception as a sophomore and then 74 tackles and three interceptions during his last collegiate season in 2009. Opting out of his senior season to declare for the 2010 NFL Draft, Jones he was selected by the New York Giants with the 76th overall pick in the third round. Jones' NFL career never materialized though due to a car accident in June, 2010, that caused serious left leg injuries resulting in upwards of 20 surgeries. After a couple of failed attempts with the Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints, Jones decided to re-focus on baseball in 2013. Being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Jones is still in the organization as a pitcher, but has again dealt with injuries which has slowed down his progress.

Farrell's Take: Jones was one of the best two-sport athletes in Rivals.com history and he made an immediate impact in college. He probably should have stayed for his senior season, like many others who come out early and end up in the third round instead of the first, but fate is fate and his car accident is a tragedy on a sports level. Jones was a huge safety out of high school, a rarity in 2007, but was never a huge hitter. He got by on his athleticism and ball-hawking skills in high school (12 picks as a senior) but he was such a great athlete he could have succeeded at linebacker or even on offense. The fact that he's still on any radar for sports at this stage speaks of his dual-sport abilities.

Malachi Dupre

River Ridge (La.) John Curtis (No. 15 in the Class of 2014)

Dupre was ranked No. 15 nationally, No. 2 in Louisiana, behind only Fournette, and as the No. 2 wide receiver, behind only Travis Rudolph, in the Class of 2014. Unlike other top-level Louisiana recruits, Dupre's final destination was more of an unknown until National Signing Day. In fact, according to Dupre, he wasn't even sure about his decision until a few hours before it became public as he considered LSU, Florida State and UCLA. The draw of playing close to home was too difficult for everyone else to overcome and Dupre committed on National Signing Day. As a true freshman, Dupre showed glimpses of stardom, even though it was during minimal opportunities. Finishing with only 14 receptions, but for 318 yards and five touchdowns, the LSU coaching staff and fans are excited for what is to come in the future.

Farrell's Take: Dupre was an interesting eval because he played for a traditionally run-first offense and never put up crazy numbers, but when you saw him in person and in camps, his athleticism and leaping ability was off the charts. Dupre is much more of a camp eval than anyone else on this list and those who say evals without pads are worthless will be eating their words as he emerges as a star. We saw glimpses as a freshman and if LSU gets solid quarterback play, especially with their running game, Dupre will be one of the best big-play receivers in the country.

Derrius Guice

Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic (No. 15 in the Class of 2015)

Guice was ranked No. 15 nationally, No. 2 in Louisiana, behind only Johnson, and as the No. 2 running back, behind only Damien Harris, in the Class of 2015. After naming a top five of LSU, Texas, Southern Miss, Georgia and Alabama during the spring after his junior season, Guice committed to LSU a little more than a month later. He seemed solid for several months until a series of tweets about re-opening his recruiting process created paranoia in LSU fans. Over the next few months rumors continued to circulate about Guice looking around, mainly because of the running back depth at LSU. A few days before National Signing Day, Guice did end up taking an official visit to Alabama, but that turned into a non-event as he signed with the Tigers. Guice has a legitimate chance to see playing time in the backfield behind Fournette. He did experience a health scare in July, which is being blamed on dehydration, and at this time he is back with the team and looks to be at 100 percent.

Farrell's Take: Guice is a huge running back with amazing ability inside the tackles and the speed to bust it outside and run away from people. The comparisons to Fournette are natural and not that far off, although Fournette was clearly more of a sure thing out of high school and had a higher level of maturity. Guice loves initiating contact and is like a bull when he gets up a head of steam but his quick feet make him special. We'll see how patient he is playing behind Fournette, because more than most running backs I've dealt with, he has a chip on his shoulder, and that could work for him or against him.