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ATLANTA – The crop of defensive backs at the 2018 five-star challenge was led by No. 1 overall prospect Derek Stingley, but the talent pool certainly didn’t end with him. Players with rankings throughout the Rivals250 and beyond showed off their talent at the event. Some exceeded the hype. Some met it. Others fell short of expectations. Below, in the defensive back stock report, Rivals.com has a look at each cornerback and safety’s performance.
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STOCK UP
Ringo was one of the fastest players at the event and does not lack for length. He impressed all afternoon, leaving flaws in his game hard to find. He’s undoubtedly ranked too low as things stand, but that will change in time.
Gant’s ranking may not shoot up dramatically, as he’s already highly ranked, but he’s due for a bit of a bump based on a performance that saw him nearly capture MVP honors. Gant won most of his one-on-one reps and showed a competitive fire that was nearly unmatched. The four-star corner takes these events -- and all football-related tasks for that matter – seriously.
Stevenson also made a push for MVP honors. His size makes him incredibly versatile and his athleticism is unmistakable. He’s underranked at this juncture. That much is clear. How much he’ll shoot up the rankings is the only lingering question.
Will Ricks move to five-stars based on his MVP performance? Who knows? What is clear, however, is that he deserves some semblance of bump. The high four-star prospect was the most consistent defensive back in a group loaded with top-flight talent and made a number of plays late in the day to separate himself from the others.
STOCK STEADY
Davis maybe isn’t quite as fast as we’d hope, but he showed out during one-on-ones, protecting his five-star status. He needs to develop as a defensive back but he has plenty of time to do so.
A five-star prospect that played like a five-star prospect, the Florida State commit has elite athleticism and has been coached extremely well. Dent was as advertised at the event.
Elam may not be the most technically sound defensive back in the country, but he shines when the lights come on. Elam spent his day at the event making play after play, all while showcasing incredible length and reaction time.
A Purdue commit, Grant doesn’t move as smoothly as some other elite defensive backs but he has size and made enough plays to make a mark on one-on-one drills. His upside is impressive. He just needs to stay the course from a development standpoint.
An injury forced Criddell to miss 7-on-7 work but he looked solid enough in drills and one-on-one action. There’s no reason to think his ranking is off by much.
Lee’s size is his calling card. And while he might be a linebacker in the end, he certainly didn’t do anything to hurt his stock playing safety at the event.
Smith flashed greatness in Atlanta. He also flashed the opposite of that. The average of the two poles was impressive but not elite. His standing as a four-star outside the Rivals250 checks out.
Stingley had a handful of lapses, but looked mostly great. Will it be enough to defend his spot at the top of the 2019 rankings? That remains to be seen, but his standing as a five-star is probably safe. Players with his combination of size and athleticism don’t often bust.
Clark lacks size, but he backed up his standing as a four-star outside the Rivals250. He was, to borrow a line, what we thought he was.
Williams was solid all day and did well on one-on-ones. His limited size holds him back some, but he was every bit as effective as we’d imagined. His standing as a borderline top-100 prospect seems warranted.
STOCK DOWN
Couch is good in coverage, but his lack of size is starting to become an issue against top-flight receivers. There’s no denying his ability, but there’s also no denying he gets pushed around a little too much for a top-100 defensive back. The talent is there, but his frame holds him back.
Simply put, it was a bad day for Otay. The Tennessee-based defensive back had trouble running with wide receivers and allowed notable separation on most reps. He certainly does some things extremely well, but he may be a touched overvalued as a Rivals100 prospect.
A 2020 prospect, Dunson has plenty of time to hone his game. He’ll need to do so, as he found himself on the wrong end of most one-on-one reps. This isn’t to say he can’t reclaim his lofty ranking. It’s just to say he’s not yet developed into the prospect we think he can.
Sanguinetti also lacks elite size. And while he was injured early in one-on-one work, he was hit and miss in drills. The four-star prospect won’t take a massive tumble by any stretch, but may be a bit overvalued as things stand now.
Hill certainly looks the part but struggled in coverage at times. His potential remains intact, but further development is needed.
