Rivals Rankings Week: How does Foreman stack up with top DEs?
After an outstanding junior season couple with a phenomenal summer including a tremendous showing at The Opening, five-star defensive end Korey Foreman is the new No. 1 prospect in the 2021 class rankings, taking over the top spot from five-star quarterback and Oklahoma commit Brock Vandagriff.
At a premium position like defensive end, there have been a handful of No.1 overall prospects at his position and many other highly-ranked players throughout the years dating back to 2002.
Here is a look at the highest-ranked defensive ends in Rivals history:
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK:
Monday: Top 10 revealed
Tuesday: Rivals100 revealed
Wednesday: Rivals250 revealed
Thursday: Position rankings revealed
Highest ranked defensive ends in each class:
Note: Rankings below are overall spot, not positional:
2002: Kai Parham, No. 11
2003: Joe Cohen, No. 16
2004: Brandon Miller, No. 7
2005: Melvin Alaeze, No. 4
2006: Robert Rose, No. 17
2007: Carlos Dunlap, No. 5
2008: Da’Quan Bowers, No. 2
2009: Devon Kennard, No. 8
2010: Ronald Powell, No. 1
2011: Jadeveon Clowney, No. 1
2012: Jonathan Bullard, No. 6
2013: Robert Nkemdiche, No. 1
2014: Da’Shawn Hand, No. 1
2015: Byron Cowart, No. 1
2016: Jeffery Simmons, No. 15
2017: Josh Kaindoh, No. 5
2018: Xavier Thomas, No. 5
2019: Kayvon Thibodeaux, No. 6
2020: Jordan Burch, No. 4
2021: Korey Foreman, No. 1
Where does Foreman rank all-time versus the other No. 1 defensive ends? Where does the Corona (Calif.) Centennial standout stand among the top-rated players in Rivals history? We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to offer his thoughts.
FARRELL'S TAKE
"This is tough because Foreman is still so young and has two seasons left to play, but I'd put him up there physically with guys like Cowart, Simmons and Thomas because he's so thick and powerful. He's not quite as athletic as Alaeze or Dunlap but he's in that category as well when it comes to physical build. He's probably one of the top six or seven young defensive ends I've seen over the years and it's a really strong list.
"As far as how he compares to the overall No. 1 players, time will tell on this one but I like him a little better than Powell at the same stage, but certainly not as much as Clowney, Nkemdiche or Hand who were all a little bit more athletic. Foreman has an amazing future ahead of him, but he's no lock to be No. 1 overall by the end of the process."