Top underclassmen: Best of Midwest Combine
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Performance: Although he's just a freshman, Gill already has people around the state of Ohio buzzing. The 6-foot, 170-pound prospect is listed as a running back, but he ran with the wide receiver group at Monday's event. He has the skill set that could project to several positions in college, but probably has to stay on offense because you do not want to take the football out of his hands. Gill is well ahead of the curve from both a skills and fundamentals standpoint.
3
DE
Luiji Vilain (2017)
Ottawa (Ont.) Lester B. Pearson
Performance: The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Vilain is filling out his frame and it is showing up in his play. The Canadian product was much stronger at the point of attack than he was last off-season, and he still has the burst off the edge that got people excited when he came up as a freshman. Vilain also tested really well, including posting a 4.78 40-yard dash -- very impressive for a sophomore defensive end prospect.
4
DE
Tahj Rice (2018)
Louisville (Ky.) DuPont Manual
Recruiting wrap: Rice has not started the recruiting process yet.
Performance: The 6-foot-2, 268-pound Rice turned heads as soon as he walked into the building on Monday. He is a physically impressive looking prospect for a junior, let alone a freshman, and when he told everyone he was class of 2018 the collective jaws hit the floor. In one-on-ones Rice also showed he more than just looked the part. He is obviously still developing the finer points of the position, but the base elements of speed and power are definitely there.
5
ATH
Christian Nkansah-Wiafe (2017)
Westerville (Ohio) South
Recruiting wrap: Nkansah-Wiafe holds early offers from Bowling Green and Toledo.
Performance: There are high expectations for Nkansah-Wiafe, but the question has always been what position he projects to. We have him listed as an athlete, but he went with the linebacker group on Monday, which is the position he plays for his high school team. With a listed size of 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds and posting a 4.4 range 40-yard dash, though, the talk about him moving back to the safety position is bound to heat up.
6
WR
Matthew Wilcox (2017)
Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne
Recruiting wrap: Wilcox is hearing from several schools but is still waiting on his first offer.
Performance: Wayne High is going to have a stream of college coaches through their building over the next couple years with all the young talent coming up through the system, and Wilcox should definitely get plenty of looks. The sophomore could project to several positions in college, but played wide receiver on Monday and looked the part. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Wilcox is a solidly built prospect for the receiver position who could play in the slot or on the outside.
7
DB
DeAmonte King (2017)
Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary
Recruiting wrap: King's recruitment has yet to get started.
Performance: King has been listed at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, but just sizing him up it looks like he has definitely grown and added to his frame since then. We would put him comfortably over 6-feet at this stage of his growth, and it looks like he has more room to grow. Because of that he will probably end up as a college safety prospect, and the sophomore runs really well for that position. St. Vincent-St. Mary has been a strong producer of talent, and King looks like the next in line.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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