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Published Jun 25, 2018
Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge: Who will outplay their rank this week?
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CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

The Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas kicks off Wednesday with Media Day, followed by the players taking the field Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for skills, drills and a seven-on-seven tournament.

The event is an invaluable evaluation tool for the Rivals team of analysts as they see the truly elite compete against each other in a high-pressure environment.

In today’s Rivals Roundtable, we asked each analyst who they thought would outplay their current ranking during the event.

MORE FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE: Offensive roster | Defensive roster | Farrell's storylines | Best Five-Star Challenge performance ever? | Which QB will shine brightest? | Who will raise stock? | Full Rivals Camp Series coverage

ROB CASSIDY: WR TYRIQUE STEVENSON

There’s been a ton a buzz surrounding the development of Tyrique Stevenson, who had an impressive outing at a recent Miami camp but did so after our latest rankings meetings. Stevenson has elite size and the tools to one of the top prospects in the 2019 class. He’ll have his chance to make his case against the country’s best quarterbacks and wide receivers, and I expect him to measure up incredibly well. He has every physical tool there is, and is apparently starting to put everything together this offseason.

MIKE FARRELL: WR TREJAN BRIDGES

Wide receiver Trejan Bridges could have a great day and potentially push his way up towards five-star range. He can dominate events and is part of a deep WR group, so he’ll be going against the best at his position and some very talented defensive backs as well. Keep an eye out for him.

ADAM FRIEDMAN: LB LEE KPOGBA

Linebacker Lee Kpogba has a great chance to outplay his ranking. The West Virginia commit is a great athlete and linebackers that can really run well do a great job in the camp setting. Look for him to really shine in the 7-on-7 tournament and do his best to justify a move up in the Rivals250.

ADAM GORNEY: WR ELIJAH HIGGINS

Elijah Higgins already moved up in the latest round of 2019 rankings but the four-star receiver can really make a statement in Atlanta that he’s one of the top dozen receivers in this class.

When I saw him at the adidas National Championships playing with quarterback Grant Gunnell, Higgins was absolutely dominant as an outside receiver and took over some games. He has excellent size, a strong build, awesome hands and he can be more physical than most cornerbacks. I’m not sure Higgins is in the Theo Wease or Jadon Haselwood range of receivers in this class, but as I look at 8-12 in the position rankings, I don’t think that’s an unreasonable spot if he does well at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge.

JOSH HELMHOLDT: WR WANDALE ROBINSON

Kentucky-based wideout Wandale Robinson is one of the few prospects not ranked within the Rivals250 for his class who will be participating this week, but this setting his perfect for his game and I expect he shines even amongst the stars who are about to descend on Atlanta. The ideal slot receiver, Robinson changes direction in an instant and will be a very difficult cover no matter if a linebacker or cornerback lines up opposite him.

NICK KRUEGER: DE MARCUS STRIPLING

My pick for a guy to outplay his ranking is defensive end Marcus Stripling. In games, I have seen him have a bit of trouble consistently beating bigger offensive linemen, but at the Rivals camp earlier this spring he showed an impressive motor and had some pretty good success against five-star Kenyon Green. He's a pretty big guy himself and plays with an impressive combination of explosion and power. Stripling initially was ranked higher than he's been for the past few rankings cycles, but the camp environment with a big stage will give him a favorable opportunity to start moving back up towards the top.

CHAD SIMMONS: LB TYRON HOPPER

Tyron Hopper had one of the top linebacker camp performances, so I have high expectations for the Florida commit. He is an athletic linebacker, which is perfect in this setting and he has good speed, he is athletic and his ball skills are a real plus. He had five interceptions on a wet, rainy day in Atlanta, earning his invite to the Five-Star Challenge, so I am looking for a similar performance this week. He has a 5.8 rivals rating, so it would be no surprise for him to play above that.

WOODY WOMMACK: WR GARRETT WILSON

Garrett Wilson was one of my favorite wide receivers during the spring evaluation window and while he made a nice jump inside the Top 50, he can push even higher with a strong showing in Atlanta. His combination of size and speed makes him a tough cover and his flair for making big plays in big moments could also help his case to move up.

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