Road revelations: Mid-Atlantic
Advertisement
Greg Ross
Ross has been dominant this offseason and he is likely headed for a bump in the rankings. At 6-foot, 171 pounds, Ross has the skill set of a cornerback, but could turn into a safety depending on how his body develops at North Carolina. At the Freak Show, he shut down wide receivers. Completing deep routes against Ross was nearly impossible and he did a good job at closing on throws in front of him.
At the Rutgers Passing Camp a few weekends ago, Ross played mostly safety and showed off his ability to anticipate routes and deny the pass. He covered a lot of ground and controlled the deep middle of the field, making life difficult for quarterbacks.
Stock dropping
DE Ron Johnson, Camden, N.J. | DE Shane Simmons, Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha
Shane Simmons
It's always tough to be critical of players, but Johnson and Simmons still have some developing to do before they should be considered among the best players in the 2016 class. Both are very similar players. They are speed rushers with enough athleticism to stand up and play in space in college. Right now their versatility is their biggest strength.
As pure defensive ends, both Simmons and Johnson need to add more strength and good weight to be more successful. Right now, they have a lot of success if they use their speed and beat offensive linemen to the outside. They run into problems when they try to take and inside route. To be more effective inside, they need to be stronger.
Analyst's take
Christian Wilkins
There has been a resurgence in major college football talent occurring in Connecticut over the past few years. Only 17 players out of the 30 ranked in the state rankings from the 2010 to 2012 committed to a major college football program. That's about 57 percent. From 2013 to now, including the 2016 verbal commitments, 28 out of 35 players in the state rankings have committed to a major college football program. That's 23 percent jump from the earlier this decade. Players like 2015 five-star Christian Wilkins, 2013 Andrew Isaacs and 2015 Chris Clark highlight this recent run of talent.
The 2017 class in Connecticut could be an important one as well. It is headlined by Rivals100 wide receiver Tarik Black. He is the type of player that could go to any school he wants. Teammate Samuel Vretman is another quality prospect that will get to continue his football career in college. Linebacker Ben Mason has been attracting a lot of attention so far and has a few scholarship offers to his name. There are a handful of prospects in Connecticut's 2017 class that will find their way into the college football ranks.
Adam Friedman
Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst
Click Here to view this Link.