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Texas All-Slept On Team: Defense

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

Evaluating and ranking players is, in many ways, an inexact science. Adjustments to the recruiting calendar have changed the landscape of recruiting in Texas and spring football has an added significance and more commitments are being made earlier in the process.

Even with all the resources and events available to college coaches to get eyes on prospects, talented players still sometimes seem to slide through the cracks. Here is a look at defensive players in Texas - many of whom are ranked as three-stars - that either have a only picked up a few of offers, or in many cases, have yet to pick up their first one at all, but have shown this spring and summer that they’re worthy of more than what they have.

RELATED: Texas All-Slept On Team: Offense

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DEFENSIVE END

Similar to the glut of wide receivers over the next few seasons in Texas, there are a plethora of long, rangy defensive ends in the state as well. Three players that are interesting options and have been seemingly under-recruited to this point are Cedar Ridge edge rusher Edgerrin Williams, Celina, Tex., product Kaghen Roach and Houston-Lamar weakside end Kenneth Dotson.

Dotson just committed to North Texas on Tuesday night but even still, Dotson’s recruitment should continue this season, as his only other offer besides the Mean Green came from UMass. Some team could still make a play to get a strong and relentless pass-rusher if it looks his way this fall, but UNT has done a fantastic job recruiting this class.

Williams is a recent Texas State commit and is probably built more like a big linebacker than a true defensive end, but his effectiveness as a pass-rusher is unquestionable and he hits like a ton of bricks.

Finally, Roach has all the makings of one of those back-pocket type of players that is going to see his recruitment explode by the end of the season when teams start scrambling for last-second quality additions. He certainly could see his recruitment take off sooner than that, but after hitting some camps in the spring and picking up a few offers from service academies, he’s not completely off of teams’ collective radar. He should have a lot of value to teams looking to add length and speed off the edge as he covers so much ground so quickly from wherever he lines up.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

The interior line class in the state doesn’t boast the sort of daunting size, by and large, at the position that most would probably expect, but that’s not to say that effective players at tackle all have to be mammoth builds to be really effective. That being said, at just over six feet and touching up at close to 300-pounds, El Paso-Chapin DT Lama Lavea plays like a force of nature. He’s so fast and quick for a player of his size, that he should be a name that’s circled by a couple of teams heading into this fall.

St. Pius X nose guard Thomathan Good looks as close to a prototype at that position as there is. Even for a guy his size, his lateral quickness leaves a little something to be desired, but he is just too big and strong not to be of use to someone. Alief Hastings tackle Kasual Savoy could be an interesting name to keep in mind this season as a three-technique pass-rusher.

One player that doesn’t have much of anything out in the way of film or exposure but is worthy of some attention is Killeen-Shoemaker lineman Robert Rios. The 2020 prospect showed up at the Austin Lone Star Prospects Showcase and was outright dominant with his combination of size and speed.

LINEBACKER

Linebacker has been a tough position group to find elite talent in 2019. Even the top outside backer in the class, Marcel Brooks could just as easily project as an in-the-box strong safety. A few inside backers could prove useful for teams still looking to pull someone out of a thin talent pool in the state.

Chance Cover has been a workhorse over the past few seasons and has started spending some time working as an H-Back type of offensive player, but is athletic enough to have pulled more offers than the ones he has now. Ezrah Thibodeaux showed a little stiff during his appearance at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Series presented by adidas in Houston, but is built like college football player already, and as far as downhill middle linebackers go, could really put a lick on someone.

Austin-Vandegrift recruit Spencer Jones is another player in the traditional mold of an inside backer that just hasn’t got the looks he probably would have at a more frequently recruited high school program.

Is Jared Pedraza a defensive back? He might get thick enough to play linebacker and is a tireless defender in pass-coverage.

After picking up an early offer from Tulsa, things haven’t really continued moving forward with 2020 Shadow Creek linebacker Jeremiah Harris, but he is one of the most athletic players in this class or next at his position and is one of its more instinctive prospects in pass-coverage.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The overall talent at defensive back might not be on the same level as the wide receivers in the state, and most of the state’s top players at the position have found places to commit heading into the fall, but there are a few names that are still floating around that bring something to the table that hasn’t quite translated to offers yet.

Probably the most intriguing defensive back still available at all is DeShawn Gaddie. He has a number of offers, but not a single one from a Power Five team and that is truly mind-boggling. He’s long, lean and scrappy and showed most recently in the state 7-on-7 tourney that he’s a natural receiver as well. North Texas has been in the lead with him for some time, but he’s better than some other players in the state committed to bigger programs.

William Savala is a big-bodied defensive back that could end up being a cornerback or safety. He’s really developed a great sense on when to close on a receiver with a pass coming in and has the kind of size to hold his own against bigger receivers.

It’s puzzling why Ke’Vric Wiggins doesn’t have more offers to this point beyond Texas State and Louisiana-Monroe. He was one of the best corners at the Houston Rivals Camp and does a great job putting himself between pass and receiver.

Drew Rawls is a bigger corner that is built like a safety. He missed some time last year due to a leg injury and has worked to get himself back into the limelight, but should be a player that is looked at once the season begins.

The final player on the list is Trevius Hodges-Tomlinson, yes that Tomlinson - he’s the nephew of LaDanian Tomlinson but makes his hay on the other side of the ball. He’s on the short side, but he’s so feisty and such a ball-hawk that he plays bigger than his size.

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