Prospects pick own MVPs from Bay Area Rivals 3 Stripe Camp
HAYWARD, Calif. - There is no higher honor for a football player than to earn the respect of his fellow competitors. So we asked some of the participants at Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas in the Bay Area to talk about which other players at the event impressed them with their performances.
MORE: Adam Gorney's Bay Area Awards | Full Rivals Camp Series schedule
BEST QUARTERBACK
The pick: QB Kaiden Bennett
Why: "Well, he looks like Odell (Beckham Jr.) and he has good accuracy." - RB Jauheem Taylor
BEST WIDE RECEIVER
The pick: Kody Epps
Why: "He was the only one who caught one on me all day." - DB Alex Austin
The pick: Puka Nacua
Why: “He can high-point the ball, has speed and does a good job of getting off a jam.” – 2020 wide receiver Matt Sykes
The pick: Randy Rivera
Why: “He had nice routes, good feet and his ball skills were strong.” – 2020 athlete Justin Pinkney
The pick: Kody Epps
Why: “I went up against a lot of guys that gave me some great competition, but Kody Epps – I’ve played with him during 7-on-7 and in practices he’ll always be one of the top receivers, so it was just good to play against him.” – 2021 defensive back Elisha Lloyd
The pick: Jalen McMillan
Why: “He’s fast and he has nice hips. I don’t know him, but I know he’s good.” – 2019 athlete Leonard Glass
BEST OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
The pick: Bula Schmidt
Why: "That's the first time I lost a rep at a camp. He's strong." - WDE Kwabena Watson
The pick: Julius Buelow
Why: "What was so tough was his size and his width." - DE Xavier Carlton
The pick: Michael Lynn
Why: “First of all, he waited patiently for me to attack. As soon as I did that, he’d set his feet and then he’d maneuver his hands, which had me caught off guard, really.” – 2019 defensive tackle De’Jon Benton
The pick: Bula Schmidt
Why: “He was out there playing center. He’s just a beast.” – 2019 offensive lineman Julian Bradley
The pick: Bula Schmidt
Why: “He’s good. He has fast feet.” – Rivals100 offensive lineman Julius Buelow
The pick: Bula Schmidt
Why: “He’s a big dude and the coaches are talking about how hard it is to get around guys like him and you can see it.” – 2019 offensive lineman Michael Lynn
BEST DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
The pick: Kwabena Watson
Why: "Just his speed and then he was spinning all the time." - Four-star offensive tackle Julius Buelow
The pick: Gabriel Lopez
Why: "He's quick and he has really good feet." - 2020 OL Reece Atteberry
The pick: Xavier Carlton
Why: "It's not necessarily him. I just opened up my hips a little bit and he has a really long reach." - OL Bula Schmidt
The pick: De’jon Benton
Why: “He was pretty good – he was the only guy that got me. He got me once. On my first set I had him, I just moved my feet really fast, on my second set, I tried to jump-set him and he just cut inside and he stuck me.” - Bradley
The pick: Xavier Carlton
Why: “I’ve been at two camps with him already … and I can see that he’s grown from all the other ones and came here and showed out.” – 2019 defensive end Kwabena Watson
The pick: Xavier Carlton
Why: “He’s fast and he’s quick, not too much power but coming around the edge and trying to anticipate him was tough.” – Rivals100 offensive lineman Julius Buelow
The pick: Brayden Wood
Why: “He’s blowing up with offers right now and it’s because of his motor. He keeps going and going and even when the whistle blows he doesn’t want to stop. I think that’s something that’s a good quality for a defensive end.” – 2019 offensive lineman Michael Lynn
BEST LINEBACKER
The pick: Jordan Botelho
Why: "He was really good in coverage, just really physical." - RB Raleek Brown
BEST DEFENSIVE BACK
The pick: Maurice Wilmer
Why: “He was patient with his jam and then kept up with me on the streak.” – 2020 wide receiver Matt Sykes
The pick: Alex Austin
Why: “His technique was pretty good. He had stamina, he just knew that he had good ball skills.” – 2020 athlete Justin Pinkney
The pick: Leonard Glass
Why: “He was lock down, he’s one of my favorite corners. I actually studied how he moved and tried to add it to my own craft – he’s a really good DB.” – Lloyd
The pick: Elisha Lloyd
Why: “He was real good today.” – Glass