Rivals Rankings Week: Which player ranking might we regret?
The last update to the 2022 Rivals250 is out but there are still some rankings each member of the national analyst team isn't thrilled about. Take a look at which ranking we think we might regret down the road.
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
FINAL 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Center | Offensive guard | Offensive tackle | Tight end | Wide receiver | Running back | All-Purpose Back | Pro-style QB | Dual-threat QB
PREVIEWS: Will there be a new No. 1 OT? | Should Alex Styles be top 10?
MONDAY: Five-star countdown | Meet the new five-stars
TUESDAY: Rivals250 released | Gorney's thoughts | Biggest movers | Five toughest questions we faced | Who should be the No. 1 WR?
WEDNESDAY: Offensive position rankings released | Five schools that should be pleased | QBs who are the best fit | RBs who are the best fit | WRs/TEs who are the best fit | OL who are the best fit
THURSDAY: Defensive position rankings released | Three-star with most potential
FRIDAY: State rankings released
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My recent track record has been mixed with five-star linebackers hitting or missing, but I do feel like we are missing by not making Jaylen Sneed a five-star. The Hilton Head, S.C., star is one of the most athletic, quick-twitch and bouncy linebackers I've covered.
The Notre Dame signee is exactly the type of athlete college and NFL teams are looking for at linebacker. Sneed is expected to have the same type of impact at Notre Dame that former first-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had, and their measurables as seniors in high school are very similar.
On film, Sneed can be found playing all over the field and is always around the ball. That range, physicality and nose for the ball should help him become a star in South Bend. - Adam Friedman
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Statistically speaking, there is nothing else Gunner Stockton could have done on the field throughout his career, especially during his senior year, to prove his five-star worthiness. Spinning it for Rabun County, Stockton’s senior season was a career year for most QBs as he threw for 4,134 yards in the air with a mind-boggling 55 touchdowns against just one interception while carrying a 71% completion rate.
Adding to his legendary status in Georgia, he was just shy of 1,000 yards rushing, posting 956 yards off 137 carries while tallying 15 more scores on the board. Once in Athens, Stockton will have another chance to showcase his dual-threat talents surrounded by some of college football’s best. - Ryan Wright
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Quarterback is arguably the hardest position to project when it comes to success at the college level and beyond. That being said, there are a few traits that are sought after by nearly every QB coach in the nation. Accuracy, arm strength, ability to extend plays with their feet and intelligence. Penn State signee Drew Allar checks all of those boxes, and he does them all at a very high level.
Although Allar has a respectable ranking coming in at No. 69 in the country, he is a player that should be in the five-star conversation, and we currently have him rated one notch below the highest four-star prospects. He has great size, is a proven winner and accurate passer, has as much arm talent as any player in this class and he has the intelligence to pick up an offense quickly and contribute early.
Allar is a player that has every tool to be a high-round draft pick down the road, and I believe we will regret not having him ranked a little higher. - Clint Cosgrove
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There are a good crop of running backs in this 2022 cycle, including Branson Robinson. The way that the NFL Draft is trending there are one or two backs that come off the board on Day 1. Robinson (Georgia) and Raleek Brown (USC) are two early candidates, Robinson as the downhill runner and Brown as the prolific speedster playing in Lincoln Riley's offense.
Robinson is a well-rounded back that showed off good hands and agility at the Rivals Camp Series stop in Atlanta. He runs with immense power, the ability to tack on yardage through contact and should be a fantastic fit behind Georgia's stout offensive line. Given the choice between the nation's top two backs, I'm partial to Robinson. - Sam Spiegelman
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When I look at trends among offensive linemen in college football and the NFL Draft, so many times the guys taken highest are a little undersized at the high school level but then develop physically in college and keep their athleticism. Now with size and the ability to move, they dominate on the college level and then NFL teams love them on the offensive line.
That description fits perfectly for four-star OL Texas A&M signee Patrick Williams Jr., who finished No. 123 overall and No. 11 among offensive tackles. Williams was excellent at the Under Armour Game, and even though he's still undersized and in a year where we're not exactly certain of the placement for offensive tackles, we should have taken a shot on Williams and moved him even higher. - Adam Gorney