UA All-America Game Week: Which DL was the best on Day 1?
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Sunday night featured the first practice leading up to the Under Armour All-America Game and the amount of talent on the field was outstanding, particularly along the defensive line. The group featured prospects such as Rivals250 Texas signee Vernon Broughton, Rivals100 LSU signee Jaquelin Roy, Rivals100 North Carolina signee Desmond Evans, five-star Alabama signee Chris Braswell, Rivals100 Clemson signee DeMonte Capehart, and many others. Who was the best on the first day? Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman have differing opinions. In this edition of Rival Views, the two present their case.
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FARRELL'S VIEW: GERVON DEXTER
There were a lot of impressive defensive linemen at day one of Under Armour practice but I’m going with Gervon Dexter for a few reasons. The Florida signee has a great build for a big defensive end or an athletic defensive tackle and I could see him playing either role in college. He has a good get off and uses his hands well and his balance is impressive. He’s good in traffic as well and his versatility really sticks out to me. It’s only one day but he’s my guy.
FRIEDMAN'S VIEW: JORDAN BURCH
The number of highly rated defensive linemen in Orlando this week is really impressive, even by All-American game standards, but the best of the bunch is Jordan Burch. The five-star is the highest rated prospect on either roster and he's lived up to the hype so far. Burch, who committed to South Carolina on Signing Day, really stands out because he has the skill set and size (6-foot-5, 270-pounds) to play defensive end or defensive tackle. He won one-on-one reps using speed moves and power moves, taking inside and outside routes. Offensive linemen had a really hard time trying to keep him out of the backfield and I expect that trend to continue.