James will probably never get as big as Chancellor, but he could create as much

havoc on the field because he's a freak athlete. He flies to the football,

arrives with a thump and has a knack for making big plays either in the

secondary or close to the line of scrimmage. Chancellor is essentially an

athletic linebacker who plays safety and James will be a terror all over the

field as well.

Who else can you compare the 360-pounder to in the NFL? Heck, he's bigger than

Wilfork and taller but both big man have such light feet and incredible

athleticism that they can make plays they shouldn't and don't get caught up in

the wash. McKenzie is the biggest player I've ever seen at the high school level

who can move the way he does.

Thompson doesn't quite have the nasty streak that Suh has, but neither did Suh in

high school (for the most part). But he is an athletic gap-shooter who has very

good balance, anticipates the play well and can burst into the backfield on run

or passing plays to disrupt timing. Thompson has good size, handles double-teams

well and can work down the line and run down plays from behind as well.

Finding a taller cornerback that reminds us of McFadden wasn't easy because he

is filled out and bigger already than some of the tall, skinny cornerbacks in

the NFL. Talib is well built, covers bigger receivers well and has good speed.

He's also a physical tackler and a guy who anticipates well, which is exactly

what McFadden brings to the table.

This is a very heady comparison and it's a bit of a stretch I'll admit, but most

of these are, right? Houston almost set the sack record this past year in

the NFL and is an amazing pass rusher while Lucier-South projects as a guy who

could play with his hand down or standing up. Lucier-South is also an elite pass

rusher and has good length and a natural instinct to get the quarterback in

pursuit. He needs to get more physical to match Houston, but he could be special

in a few years.

Why not compare an immovable object headed to Alabama to a former immovable

object that dominated for the Tide and is now one of the best run stuffers in

the NFL? Payne is a slightly better natural pass rusher than Dareus and he will

play more in a 4-3 set than Dareius had to, but the comparison is easy to make.

Payne could have a similar career and a similar NFL path if he continues to

progress.

Jefferson is a hard comparison because he's such a tweener. He plays at his

best inside and off of contact, but he projects outside and isn't the tallest

defensive end. Johnson isn't either, but he's a bad man and when Jefferson gets

up into the 280 range, he could be very similar. Both players are good against

the run, have a knack for making big plays and can rush the passer very well

because of excellent inside moves and a nasty shoulder dip.

Wilkins is an athletic gap-shooter as a 3-tech who can get after the passer and

has a high level of athleticism. The same can be said for McCoy, a former five-star who has off-the-charts get-off and quickness in space. Wilkins will have to

have an amazing career to match McCoy, but the tools are there.