Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
With the sudden and unexpected retirement of NFL offensive tackle Eugene Monroe last week at the age of 29, we thought it would be a good time to see where he stood in the Rivals.com All-Time Top 10 from the Garden State. This is a pretty impressive list, led by last year’s No. 1 player in the country Rashan Gary. Of the six players who are no longer in college, three were drafted and three were not.
The skinny: Gary was a hot name in recruiting since before he even began high school. With offers from every top program in the country, Michigan, Clemson, Auburn, Ole Miss and USC began to pull away last summer. He ended up taking official visits to each of these five schools and committed to Michigan, who was seen as his leader for over a year due to the hiring of his ex-high school coach, Chris Partridge. While he only arrived in Ann Arbor a month ago, word is already out that he has impressed the coaching staff and teammates with his work ethic and athleticism.
Farrell’s take: Gary is a freak of nature, a big and tall defensive lineman who can play with leverage inside but also play with quickness and speed on the outside. His versatility will be something Michigan utilizes often and he’s arguably the most gifted defensive tackle I’ve ever scouted out of high school.
The skinny: Possessing a unique blend of athleticism and size at the cornerback position, Peppers was a must-have for every elite college program. He narrowed his list to Michigan, Ohio State, LSU and Stanford by the spring after his junior season and committed to the Wolverines in late May. Peppers was only able to play in three games as a true freshman before being medically redshirted because of a leg injury. Moved over to safety, Peppers became a major contributor on the defensive side of the ball, plus found his way to the offensive backfield where he scored two touchdowns. This season look for Peppers to play more of a hybrid safety/linebacker position, as Michigan attempts to utilize his playmaking ability closer to the line of scrimmage.
Farrell’s take: Peppers was a freak since I scouted him as a freshman cornerback at Bosco and he took his game to the next level when he transferred to Paramus Catholic, essentially taking his team on his back to a state title. He was a physical kid as a running back and defensive back and I certainly saw him as a guy who could play cornerback or safety at the next level. His move to linebacker will be interesting as I have zero doubt he will be a tackling machine closer to the line.
The skinny: By the spring of 2004, Monroe had a firm top eight, but Virginia was the school that continued to stand out. A little more than a month later, he decided to end his recruiting process with a commitment to the Cavaliers. At Virginia, Monroe saw playing time immediately and was first-team All-ACC after his senior season in 2008. His play during his senior season made him a hot name leading into the 2009 NFL Draft, which resulted in him being selected ninth overall by Jacksonville. Monroe played for four seasons in Jacksonville before getting traded to Baltimore during the 2013 season. Monroe played two more seasons with the Ravens before abruptly deciding to retire July 21.
Farrell’s take: Monroe was one of the most physical and dominant linemen I scouted and he always planted his opponent into the ground. A massive kid who didn’t have natural athleticism at the weight he played at in high school, he made up for it with technique, power and a great willingness to destroy people. In college and especially the NFL he took conditioning to the next level and became one of the most physically gifted tackles you could find in the modern NFL. His retirement at a young age is smart, just like Monroe was out of high school, but also a shame.
The skinny: Olsen originally committed and signed with Notre Dame after choosing the Fighting Irish over Miami, but then quickly transferred to the Hurricanes before he ever played a down in South Bend. One of the main reasons for this was because his brother, Chris Olsen, who was a quarterback at Notre Dame, had decided to transfer out of South Bend. After three fairly productive seasons in Miami, Olsen was selected with the 31st overall pick in the first round of the 2007 Draft by Chicago. After four seasons with the Bears, Olsen is about to begin his sixth season with Carolina, where he has become the favorite target of quarterback Cameron Newton.
Farrell’s take: Looking at his numbers in Miami where he only had six touchdowns, it’s clear how misguided the offense was during his time there and how poor the quarterback play was. Olsen still earned a first-round NFL grade and is continuing a very good career as he blossoms into one of the top tight ends in the league. In high school, he was a man amongst boys and one of the most dominant players at his position I’ve seen.
The skinny: After taking an official visit to Florida in September, Hill canceled his scheduled visit to USC for the following weekend and committed to the Gators a few days later. Hill’s time in Gainesville started off with a great deal of promise, as he finished with 48 tackles and two interceptions as a true freshman in 2008. His final two seasons were also productive, but were also seen as disappointing after his promising start. Foregoing his final season in Gainesville, Hill went undrafted in 2011 and played with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. He then signed with the New York Giants, where he played for two seasons but dealt with three league substance abuse policy violations and two arrests stemming from failure to pay child support. Prior to the 2014 season, he signed with the Baltimore Ravens, where he played for two seasons. He was released in March of this year after he had failed a drug test that would bring a 10-game suspension.
Farrell’s take: Hill was an athletic freak, a kid who could do it all from the quarterback position in high school and, like Peppers, took his team to a title on his back. He was dynamic with the ball, but he was also a physical kid who liked to mix it up on defense and loved to hit. His length and ball skills on defense were also off the charts and his athletic ability is why he carved out of a bit of an NFL career.
The skinny: Hamilton played his recruiting process pretty close to the vest throughout. After trimming his list down to Rutgers, Miami, Florida and Cal, he took official visits to all four leading up to National Signing Day. Many assumed Rutgers would be out of the picture after Coach Greg Schiano suddenly bolted for the NFL, but Hamilton committed to the in-state program over the Hurricanes in late January. At Rutgers, after starting every game during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he missed a majority of 2015 with a leg injury. Now fully healthy, he will look to anchor the Rutgers line this fall at defensive tackle.
Farrell’s take: Hamilton was a highly-ranked five-star that many questioned because of his size. He was a ‘tweener for sure, playing inside as an undersized defensive tackle for the most part in high school but lacking the length to be an elite outside guy. This was more of a hunch on my part because he was such a dominant force in high school I overlooked any size issues and he hasn’t been able to play up to his lofty ranking yet.
The skinny: Rolle stayed firm with a top six of Florida State, Florida, Penn State, Miami, Michigan and Oklahoma throughout his process. Heading into his announcement on September 1, all six schools believed they had a legitimate chance with Rolle, but it was the Seminoles who pulled in the commitment. At Florida State, Rolle experienced success both on and off the field. During his junior season he earned third-team All-American honors while also graduating early and being nominated for the Rhodes Scholarship, which he won. He spent what would’ve been his senior season at Florida State in Oxford University in England, before he made himself available for the 2010 NFL Draft, where he was selected in the sixth round by Tennessee. After spending time with the Titans and then Pittsburgh, Rolle retired from football in 2013 to begin medical school. He is currently enrolled at Florida State’s College of Medicine, where he is set to graduate in 2017.
Farrell’s take: Rolle was a very physical defensive back who became one of the biggest names in Jersey history and was one of the most heavily recruited prospects I can remember. A very good athlete, Rolle projected as a safety or cornerback at the next level but he was such an impressive and smart young man off the field that some began to question his dedication to football upon his arrival at FSU. He never lived up to his lofty ranking, but was that because of all of his outside interests?
The skinny: Robinson trimmed his list of top schools down to Rutgers, Miami, Michigan State, Maryland and North Carolina during the summer of 2002, however, his process always looked likely to come down to Rutgers and Miami. Robinson committed to Miami during his official visit to Coral Gables in December, but while he signed with the Hurricanes on National Signing Day, he never actually played for Miami. During the summer, Miami notified Robinson that he had not met their academic requirements, which basically made him a free agent. A quick visit followed to Rutgers, which led to his commitment a few days before the beginning of summer camp. After an injury plagued two seasons, Robinson was dismissed from Rutgers for violating team rules during the spring of 2005. He transferred to Akron where he continued to disappoint, which led to him going undrafted in 2008. A failed attempt with the New York Giants followed disappointing tryouts for the UFL in 2009 and then the CFL in 2011.
Farrell’s take: Robinson had it all and was college-ready in high school, but it clearly never came together. First it was academics then it was off-field issues and by the time he got settled in college, his skills never developed the way we expected. He’s one of the most talented players I’ve scouted who never impacted.
The skinny: Fitzpatrick took a number of visits during the spring after his junior season, which helped him formulate his list of top schools. Two of these were Alabama and Florida State, but after a visit to Tuscaloosa in mid-April, it was enough for Fitzpatrick to pull the trigger on a commitment. He remained firm with his word throughout, even though an official visit to Tallahassee was taken during the fall. Fitzpatrick impressed with the Crimson Tide last fall, becoming one of the top true freshman defensive players in the country. Now he is set to be a starting cornerback this fall, as he looks to take his game to the next level.
Farrell’s take: I scouted Fitzpatrick since he was a freshman in high school and he was always a five-star talent, but scouting him so much might have led to expectations that were too high. It’s why we moved him from cornerback to safety in the end because he just seemed to struggle with elite wide receivers in solo coverage down the stretch of his high school career. So much for that huh? His instant impact in the Alabama defense last season was amazing, especially for a program that is loaded with defensive talent. He’s living up to that five-star status but also sticking it in our face a bit about that move to safety, a move he took personally by the way, and I’m excited to see it.
The skinny: Toal took official visits to Boston College, Miami, Penn State, Rutgers and Tennessee before committing to the Eagles on National Signing Day. After being named the Big East’s freshman of the year, injuries eventually derailed Toal at Boston College. He missed most of the 2007 and 2008 seasons, which caused him to come up short of the lofty expectations many had for him. He went undrafted in 2009 but played in the UFL for the Las Vegas Locomotives for two seasons. He then had a short stint with the New York Jets in 2011, but never made the active roster.
Farrell’s take: Toal played running back and linebacker in high school and was a legend in the state of New Jersey as one of the best players of all time. He began the run of Bosco to state titles with his two-way ability and, despite not being the longest linebacker, he had athleticism off the charts. Injuries hurt Toal after a great start to his career as the Big East Defensive Rookie of the Year and he was never the same after a neck injury his sophomore season.
