Three-point stance: Confident QB, safety evolution, quick-hitters

Today’s edition discusses a Kentucky commit who has the demeanor of a former five-star, a certain position that’s producing freaky athletes and more QB Challenge and IllSpeed notes.

Josh Rosen was the best high school quarterback I have scouted in 18 years. The UCLA rising sophomore had a great freshman season and I fully expect him to be in the discussion as the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Rosen had everything it took to be great -– size, field vision, a cannon of an arm, “escapability”, a great feel in the pocket, excellent mechanics.

But what separated Rosen from others who had those same attributes was his attitude. Rosen was great and he knew it. And he would tell anyone near him how great he was. When the game was on the line, Rosen has little doubt he would pull it out and often did in high school with some amazing comebacks. At the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Chicago, we invited four younger “backup” quarterbacks to the event and allowed them to throw on day one only, but they didn’t compete in the 7-on-7 tournament. After throwing with the older quarterbacks, Rosen told me he wanted to throw on day two because he was better than any of the older kids, which included five-stars DeShaun Watson and Kyle Allen. And, at least during that first day of throwing, he was right.

The story goes that David Shaw and his staff didn’t offer Rosen because he was telling them what to do at Stanford’s camp rather than the other way around. Rosen’s attitude wasn’t a bad one. He wasn’t a difficult kid to deal with. He was a lot of fun to talk to. He just felt he was going to win everything and he was better than anyone.

I was reminded of Rosen's attitude this past weekend by Kentucky quarterback commitment Mac Jones. Jones doesn’t come close to the physical attributes that made Rosen so special. In fact, if you lined up 20 quarterbacks randomly and drafted them based on physical traits alone, Jones wouldn’t be in the top 10. But Jones has many things going for him as he throws a pretty ball, is very accurate and leads receivers very well. And he has a little bit of that Rosen attitude about him.

Jones is a confident kid, bordering on cocky, and always thinks he’s going to win whatever he is competing in. So the fact that he not only won the Rivals Quarterback Challenge Finals presented by Under Armour but also destroyed the field is not a surprise. This kid has that something special, something that will bode well for him in his career.

There is a position that has been traditionally undervalued that is producing some of the freakiest athletes in recent memory. There was a time where safeties were thought to be kids too big and stiff to be cornerbacks, but that has changed in the last few years and you’re going to see it impact college football and the NFL in a big way.

I write this because I just saw Jeffrey Okudah again this past weekend, a five-star in the 2017 class and the No. 9 player in the country. Okudah idolizes a guy named Jalen Ramsey, who played safety and corner at Florida State and is set to be a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft this week. In addition to Ramsey, prospects like Su’a Cravens, Vonn Bell, Quin Blanding, Derwin James, Jabrill Peppers and Minkah Fitzpatrick are all elite athletes out of high school that earned five-star rankings as guys who could potentially play cornerback or safety out of high school and make a major impact. Cravens moved to linebacker to help USC’s depth issues. He and Bell will both be pretty high picks this week as well, while Blanding, James, Peppers and Fitzpatrick will also be high picks down the line.

Teams have always coveted playmakers who are not only versatile and love to make plays near the line of scrimmage but also cover a ton of ground in the passing game. This is the best run on safeties (or corners who could also play safety) that I’ve ever seen. Keep an eye on this trend.

Brevin White is ahead of where his older brother, Arizona State QB Brady White, was at the same stage. He’s super smooth.

If Trevor Lawrence is a 2018 five-star quarterback, and he is and proved it this weekend, then fellow Georgia quarterback Emory Jones is not far off. Jones' throwing motion reminds me of Michael Vick, a flick of the wrist and the ball just pops out of his hand.

Speaking of Jones, it’s very interesting how Urban Meyer and his staff blocked the Vols from earning a commitment from Jones at Tennessee’s Spring Game just by asking him to hold off. Yes the Buckeyes are his dream offer, but it also shows the power of Ohio State in recruiting as Jones was all set to commit to the Vols.

Sooners fans should be excited about their future defensive backfield as Tre Brown, Robert Barnes and Justin Broiles, in that order, impressed me this past weekend.

If Jaylon Redd, the winner of the IllSpeed finals, commits to Oregon on his upcoming visit it will be fitting in a way. This kid is exactly what made the Ducks such a threat in the Pac-12 in recent years. He's versatile and fast as heck.

Clemson fans will love Chase Brice not only for his ability as a quarterback but also as a team player. He’s got a great head on his shoulders.

Georgia cornerback AJ Terrell is a freak of nature, a kid with safety size who can run like a corner. You can add him to the list above regarding big, freaky defensive backs.