Three-Point Stance: Comparing classes, best bets and must-gets

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here comparing the 2018 class to the 2014 class, a look at the can’t-miss prospects in each power five conference and five teams with must get recruits.

MORE FARRELL: Hot teams, small classes | Godfather & Gorney podcast

The 2018 class is a special one and the most talented class since the 2014 class, which put a ton of top prospects high in the NFL Draft. I figured it would be interesting to compare the top player at each position from each class to see who the best is. Keep in mind, this is based on how they projected out of high school…

Pro-style QB – Kyle Allen vs. Trevor Lawrence – Kyle Allen was talented, but this one is easy, Lawrence is the best quarterback I’ve ever scouted ahead of even Josh Rosen.

Dual-threat QB – Deshaun Watson vs. Justin Fields – How’s this for a comparison? Fields will have a hard time surpassing Watson’s accomplishments, but I still think he’s a bit more college-ready at the same stage.

Running Back – Leonard Fournette vs. Zamir White – White is certainly talented and one of the best backs I’ve scouted, but Fournette is top five in my history and ranks ahead of him.

All-purpose back – Joe Mixon vs. James Cook – This one is easy, Mixon was one of the most talented dual-threats I’ve ever seen. Cook is good, but he’s not on Mixon’s level.

Wide receiver – Travis Rudolph vs. Amon-Ra St. Brown – Another easy one as St. Brown is just way more dominant at the same stage.

Tight end – Jeb Blazevich vs. Luke Ford – Two Georgia signees and I’ll go with Ford because he’s a bigger target and more athletic.

Offensive tackle – Cam Robinson vs. Nick Petit-Frere – Petit-Frere has a very high ceiling but Robinson was much more college-ready at the same stage.

Offensive guard – Damien Mama vs. Jamaree Salyer – Mama was a huge and talented guard prospect but Salyer is one of the best I’ve seen in years and so much more advanced.

Offensive center – Josh Casher vs. Justin Dedich – Dedich is the call here as he’s more natural at the position despite not being the biggest offensive lineman.

Weakside defensive end – Eyabi Anoma vs. Myles Garrett – Anoma is a talented kid and has an amazing ceiling, but Garrett was on a different level and much more filled out.

Strongside defensive end – Da’Shawn Hand vs. Xavier Thomas – This is a tough one because Thomas could be No. 1 in many other years. However, Hand was more athletic and quick twitch coming out of high school.

Defensive tackle – Andrew Brown vs. Taron Vincent – Brown was great for every evaluation except his last one at Under Armour where he was bad. But we decided to keep him as a five-star anyhow and he hasn’t lived up to that. Despite that, I still think he has the size and power advantage over Vincent at the same stage.

Outside linebacker – Rashaan Evans vs. Micah Parsons – A tough call here only because Parsons is more of a defensive end, but he’s so talented I’ll give him the nod here.

Insider linebacker – Raekwon McMillan vs. Teradja Mitchell – Two Ohio State signees who play a very similar brand of football, but I’ll go with McMillan in a tight battle.

Cornerback – Jabrill Peppers vs. Patrick Surtain – Peppers was more of a safety than he was a cornerback by the time his senior year came around, but he was still more of a natural talent by a little bit.

Safety – Quin Blanding vs. Tyreke Johnson – Blanding was so smooth and rarely made a mistake that he was my safest five-star in the 2014 class, a guy who couldn’t miss. He has the edge.

Athlete – Adoree Jackson vs. Devon Williams – Jackson was a two-way star who was also a special teams demon, so he gets the easy nod here.

Last week I mentioned that I felt Xavier Thomas was my No. 1 choice for a can’t-miss prospect in the 2018 class, but it was close. So here are my No. 1 can’t-miss prospects by Power Five conference (No. 2 in the case of the ACC) and I’ll throw in Notre Dame as a bonus.

Big Ten – Justin Shorter, Penn State – His size and body control are too special for him to fail, barring injury. He’s going to be coveted by the NFL even if he doesn’t put up massive numbers in college and he’ll be a scoring machine in State College.

SEC – Jamaree Salyer, Georgia – One of the best pass-blocking guards I’ve ever scouted, Salyer is as safe a choice as there is to be a two or three- year starter and star along the offensive line.

ACC – Trevor Lawrence, Clemson – You’ll very rarely find me listing a quarterback in this category but Lawrence is a very rare quarterback.

Big 12 – Brendan Radley-Hiles, Oklahoma – A smallish cornerback is the safest bet in the Big 12? His willingness to hit and natural instincts make him a Tyrann Mathieu/Jamal Adams type of player and leader.

Pac-12 – Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC – One of the most complete receivers from the last many years, he will be hard to stop in college.

Notre Dame – Jack Lamb – He’s not the highest rated prospect in the class but he’s the safest and won’t bust out. His instincts and aggressive nature are key to his game and should make him a tackling machine at the next level.

At this stage, every target is a “must-get” for every school, but here are five guys certain schools can’t afford to let slip through their fingers.

Florida and Nick Petit-Frere – The Gators have been linked with the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle for a long time and need help at the position. His upside is so high that they can’t afford to lose him to Alabama or anyone else.

South Carolina and Rick Sandidge – The Gamecocks have been his leader, according to sources, for such a long time it’s hard to think of a different leader for the talented defensive tackle. This is the kind of talent at a position of need that South Carolina can’t afford to lose.

Miami and Tyson Campbell – Patrick Surtain will likely get away so they can’t afford to lose both local five-star cornerbacks.

Texas A&M and Jaylen Waddle – The Aggies need a big 2018 win down the stretch and a dynamic receiver to replace Christian Kirk, so losing Waddle would hurt badly.

Penn State and Rasheed Walker – Walker has been considered a Penn State lock forever, so to lose him to Ohio State after the Buckeyes were recruiting Jackson Carman and others more heavily would be a killer.