Matchup No. 2: Brown vs. Rodgers
Rivals.com is counting down the top 10 matchups we can't wait to watch at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge over the final 10 days heading into the event in Atlanta.
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Two days away: Matchup No. 2
DT Andrew Brown, Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River vs. OL Khaliel Rodgers, Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Academy
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Why Brown has an edge: The nation's early No. 1 defensive tackle prospect for the class of 2014, Brown is not only very strong; but he's very quick, and his violent hand movement and ability to knock defenders off balance with use of his arms is beyond his years. This is essentially a rematch of the Baltimore NIKE Camp where Brown was the first prospect to get the best of Rodgers in a camp setting. If Rodgers gets his hands on anyone, the rep is over and he has won. However, Brown has a nice array of moves, is slippery for a big man and his light feet and agility could give Rodgers trouble, especially if he mixes things up and keeps him guessing on inside or outside and what technique he'll use. And remember, the defensive linemen always have the edge in these on-on-ones because of spacing. These guys are on the same regional 7-on-7 team, but you know they will meet on Saturday when it's a free-for-all.
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Why Rodgers has an edge: Rodgers is arguably the strongest player in the country and when he gets on you, it's over. He has surprisingly light feet for a massive lineman, he reads and reacts very well, never guesses and always seems to be in great position. If you take even a slightly bad angle and get into his body at all, he will put you on the ground or stand you up. Against Brown he will also be hyper focused and motivated since he lost that big final rep to him in Baltimore. That weighs on Rodgers' mind, he's quick to find tendencies, and you can bet he's gone over his matchup with Brown in his head many times.
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Overall edge: The nation's No. 1 interior defensive lineman for 2014 against the nation's No. 1 interior offensive lineman for 2013 should be fun to watch and is akin to the immovable object against the irresistible force. In this case, it could come down to the natural advantage defensive linemen have against offensive linemen when there are no other linemen firing off, less traffic around the line of scrimmage and no quarterback moving around in the backfield. However, Rodgers has only lost just two one-on-ones in the three years we've been watching him, and we're calling for the upset here. Of course one of those reps was to Brown, so he has that mental edge as well. But Brown will need to bring his A-game again to win this one.
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