Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.
MORE TAKE TWO: Theo Wease No. 1? | Bru McCoy No. 1?
THE STORYLINE
George Pickens is a new five-star, moving all the way up to No. 12 nationally and third at the receiver position behind Oklahoma commit Theo Wease and Georgia pledge Jadon Haselwood.
Pickens, who’s committed to Auburn, has excellent size at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds. He looked good in limited action this offseason but did not do as many national events as Wease and Haselwood, so it could take some time to determine which prospect is the best receiver in the class.
Wease is super talented, ranked second overall in the 2019 class and looked the part at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas this summer, where he beat top-ranked Derek Stingley, Jr., in a few one-on-one reps.
Haselwood has been dominant all offseason including at the Five-Star Challenge and the adidas National Championships, where he was arguably the best player at the entire event. Wease, Haselwood, Pickens and Oklahoma commit Trejan Bridges are the five-star receivers in this class at a loaded position.
After all is said and done, will Pickens move to No. 1 at receiver?
FIRST TAKE: WOODY WOMMACK, SOUTHEAST RECRUITING ANALYST
“I had a chance to see PIckens and Haselwood compete as teammates at the IMG 7-on-7 national championships and I have to say I left there wondering if Pickens might be the best wide receiver in the country. Haselwood was struggling with some nagging injuries, opening the door for Pickens to take center stage and he didn't disappoint. With Haselwood out of the action, Pickens was the focal point of opposing defenses and he still found a way to light it up and make big play after big play.
"Pickens’ size, speed, play-making ability and relentless competitiveness remind me of the best wide receivers I've seen since I've been doing this job. By the time the season is played and we get to the All-American games there is going to be quite the debate for the No. 1 wide receiver spot and Pickens will be in the discussion.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Pickens has a great catch radius, he snatches the ball out of the air and he has an attitude about him where he plays like one of the best receivers in the country. Is he the best receiver in this class, better than Wease or Haselwood? It still might be too early to tell.
“One reason why we give the edge to Haselwood and Wease is because we’ve seen them everywhere. We saw both at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge and they’ve been at numerous events this offseason. Pickens doesn’t do as many events, and so we just haven’t seen him as much as the other guys. He probably won’t put up huge numbers at Hoover this season because of its offense, but I’m excited to see him during the all-star events to really determine who is the best receiver in this class.”
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Monday: Who could land in new top 10? | Top 10 players revealed | Who is top wide receiver? | Could McCoy make push for No. 1?
Tuesday: Is there a 5-star QB in 2019? | Should Theo Wease be considered for No. 1? | New Rivals100 released | Farrell's Mind of Mike | Rival Views: Emery vs. Cain | Godfather & Gorney podcast
Wednesday: New Rivals250 released | Rival Views: Nolan Groulx | Five schools that should be most pleased with new rankings | Players who could finish in Rivals100
Thursday: Inside the numbers of Rivals250 | QB rankings | RB rankings | WR/TE rankings | OL rankings | Rivals Rankings podcast | Commitment Issues podcast
Friday: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings
Saturday: Team rankings breakdown
Sunday: Mid-Atlantic states rankings | Southeast states | Midwest states | Texas | Florida | West
