Mind of Mike: The updated 2020 rankings and more thoughts
MORE: Should Demarkus Bowman or Reggie Grimes be a five-star?
The Mind of Mike is a scary place. Here are his thoughts on the latest release of the Rivals100 for the 2020 class.
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK:
Monday: Top 10 revealed | Introducing the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals100 revealed
Wednesday: Rivals250 revealed
Thursday-Friday: Updated position rankings
Saturday: Team rankings analysis
Sunday: Updated state rankings
... The battle for No. 1 in the class rages on with quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei from California holding on for another rankings cycle. Is this a Trevor Lawrence situation where no one will be able to touch Uiagalelei for the entire rankings cycle? I don’t see it that way at all. While he is a special quarterback with good size who can make all the throws, Lawrence was a rarity and there is a lot of competition behind Uiagalelei.
Texas running back Zachary Evans is one of the best backs I’ve seen in recent years and reminds me a bit of Najee Harris, who finished No. 1 in the 2017 class. California linebacker Justin Flowe is a freak at his position with a motor I haven’t seen at the position in all my years and has great size. California cornerback Elias Ricks has great size and has a knack for making big plays while Ohio offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is an elite candidate as well. In fact, anyone from Julian Fleming on up could make a case for No. 1 this year. While I liked the 2019 class, the 2020 class seems to have many more elite prospects at the top.
... Here’s my personal breakdown of the new five stars..
DE Jordan Burch – The next great defensive lineman from South Carolina? I think so. He’s a superior athlete with great speed off the snap and a motor that doesn’t stop. He’s not the longest rush end in the world but he makes up for it with amazing closing speed and the ability to change direction in pursuit.
RB Demarkcus Bowman – Bowman is decisive and powerful runner who reaches top speed very quickly and has excellent feet. He’s not just a one cut guy because he can dance in the hole and find the smallest opening. Bowman can also break tackles and has the ability to be an every down back with his strength and receiving skills.
LB Chris Braswell – Braswell is a hybrid who could play with his hand on the ground and has proven that, but also showed great ability in space at the Future 50. He is long, changes direction very easily and has excellent instincts. As a pass rusher, he’s explosive and plays with good leverage with an excellent shoulder dip. He’s going to get bigger, but I doubt he loses any speed or athleticism.
LB Reggie Grimes – Grimes is a huge linebacker with the size and length of a defensive end but the athleticism of a prospect who can cover a ton of ground standing up. He’s smart and well-coached and rarely takes a false step. He’s as effective in coverage with his long frame as he is moving forward and attacking the football. As he fills out, he could grow into a defensive end or a hybrid, but right now he’s a rare 6-foot-5 linebacker.
... The highest ranked player who didn’t get his fifth star was Georgia offensive lineman Broderick Jones, who looks like a million bucks and had a great Future 50 but is still raw on film. Jones needs to work on his technique and balance, but is a guy with one of the highest ceilings in this entire class. If he continues to develop, watch out.
... Another Georgia prospect I like a lot is linebacker Phillip Webb, who has really good size and moves very well. This appears to be a very good year at linebacker overall with a lot of tall ‘backers who have great frames to fill out.
... The battle for the No. 1 wide receiver position this year is going to be a good one just like in 2019. Pennsylvania wide receiver Julian Fleming took over the No. 1 spot from Washington, D.C. wide receiver Rakim Jarrett, but there are others in range as well. IMG wide receiver Michael Redding made a huge jump up to No. 41 in the country and is a kid to keep an eye on while Louisiana wide receiver Koy Moore also made a big jump. Last year’s wide receiver class was loaded and a little better than this year’s class, but the talent at the position isn’t going away anytime soon.
... The biggest move into the Rivals100 was by safety Chris Thompson Jr. who was outside the Rivals250 last time and is now No. 48 nationally. Thompson has very good size and his instincts are excellent. He could even end up being a big cornerback in college because he has excellent hips and can turn and run with anyone.
... The Texas Longhorns should be thrilled with Teriyon “Mookie” Cooper, who moved up 25 spots to No. 67 overall. He may lack great size, but he’s so sudden in his movements it’s hard for anyone to stay with him in solo coverage. He is made for the Big 12.
... Keep an eye on Utah linebacker Noah Sewell who jumped into the Rivals100 at No. 66. He is absolutely huge for a linebacker and could end up playing along the defensive line down the road. He’s one of the biggest linebackers we've seen in recent years.
... It’s a good year at offensive tackle with Paris Johnson Jr. leading the way. Myles Hinton is a five-star and I’ve already mentioned Broderick Jones. But keep an eye on Massachusetts lineman Kevin Pyne and I really like Andrew Gentry from Colorado. Tosh Baker from Arizona made a huge move into the Rivals100 as well as needs to be on everyone’s radar.
... I thought this class would be a bit better at quarterback than it is so far as there is a big drop off from Uiagalelei down to Harrison Bailey and others. Someone else could emerge as a five-star like last year when I didn’t see one early in the 2019 class, so we will see. Last year at this time I felt we’d have zero five-stars at quarterback but Spencer Rattler and Bo Nix won me over.