Rivals 3 Stripe Camp New Orleans Awards

HARVEY, La. - The campers at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas event worked through wet conditions early on to turn in some memorable performances on Sunday. In many cases, players found ways to stand out beyond the usual method of winning one-on-one reps. Here is a look at 10 players who caught our eye for unique reasons.

MORE: Rivals Recap | Live from New Orleans | Full Rivals 3 Stripe Camp schedule

It’s only fitting this award goes to the player most commonly referred to as “Sticks” by his peers, because he flashed the type of moves that are normally only reserved for video games. He was great in space and is almost impossible to cover in a one-on-one situation, especially for a safety or linebacker. He’s currently committed to UTSA.

Thomas became a viral star after tossing people aside at the Army Combine in January, and on Sunday he was up to his old tricks again. He’s so strong that once he gets a defensive player locked up, it’s only a matter of time before he’s sending him to the ground. Thomas still has some work to do in terms of rounding into the physical conditioning of a college football player, but his strength and technique make him special.

Three-star defensive lineman Daniel Parker Jr. made the nearly 1,000-mile trip from his home in Missouri to compete in New Orleans and was rewarded thanks to an impressive day. Oftentimes in a camp environment several of the prospects know each other and are therefore more comfortable, but Parker showed that wasn’t a problem for him as he turned in an impressive performance.

Johnson checked in at 6-foot-8.5, 360 pounds and a wingspan of 84 inches. He is only a sophomore, and the offensive lineman out of Greenwood (Miss.) was the largest prospect on the field Sunday. Mississippi State liked him early as a recruit and the Bulldogs have already taken his commitment.

Just hours after winning a state title in basketball, the Rivals100 wide receiver competed at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp and left with an invite to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. He arrived at home early Sunday morning as a champion, then lost an hour with the time change, but still showed up, shined at wide receiver and earned an invite to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. This will be a weekend he will remember.

There were some quarterbacks at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp that were already known and some had offers, but there were numerous signal callers that used this event to put their name on the board. One was Dent. The sophomore really spun the ball well and showed good touch. He is one to watch moving forward.

Thomas has been putting in work on the camp circuit already this spring and continued his hot streak on Sunday. He’s a smaller receiver but is as speedy as he is quick. Thomas won a number of reps because of his concentration looking passes into his hands as defenders tried to make plays on the ball. Thomas can get caught up at the line occasionally, but is otherwise a sharp route-runner and was solid all day.

Lee, who comes from the same high school program as former Rivals100 wide receiver DeVonta Smith, may share the same first name, but both are top players for different reasons. Lee showed up looking the part of a strong, athletic receiver and delivered on that once the passes started flying. Where Smith was more slight of build, Lee showed up looking more physically imposing. On a day where defenders weren’t shy about making contact, he found ways to create separation and make catches.

A critical eye was on Cook after his newly-minted five-star ranking, but he was as steady as ever, repeating the same sort of strong performance for the umpteenth time in front of Rivals' eyes. Cook has always been a little handsy at times, but after the camp receivers praised his patience throughout reps. He’s quick enough to watch and react to routes and continues to show a great sense of timing when to look back for passes after turning and running with receivers.

Tate was as meddlesome a defender in pass-coverage as anybody at the camp - and he reminded wide receivers of that verbally after winning numerous one-on-one reps on the day. For a guy that was a little more compact relative to some of the other bigger or longer defensive backs at the event, he made up for it by matching receivers step-for-step and not biting on jukes or head-fakes.