Advertisement
football Edit

Updated 2017 Rivals250: Ten players who slipped

Georgia commit Malik Herring
Georgia commit Malik Herring (Nick Lucero / Rivals.com)

The high school football season is wrapping up and there are always significant changes after evaluating numerous prospects around the country through the late summer and fall.

There was no change at the top of the Rivals100 Presented by Under Armour that was released on Monday. There were plenty of changes throughout that list that carried over to this Rivals250 release.

Here is a look at players who dropped in the Rivals250.

MORE: Updated Rivals250 | Big Risers in R250 | Five new five-stars in latest Rivals100 | Updated Rivals100

Advertisement

Difference: -43

“There is no question Graham is a tremendous athlete who can shut down top receivers, but I would like to see him make more plays and develop physically. He’s still on the lean side and there is a concern how he will perform against top-end receivers at the next level. Speed and ability aren’t an issue, but he needs to keep getting bigger. Arizona, Nebraska, Oregon, Notre Dame and others remain involved with the former USC commit.” - National analyst Adam Gorney

Difference: -68

“Slaton needs to become more polished from a technique standpoint. He carries a bit of bad weight but his athleticism and upper-body strength make him a prospect with an extremely high ceiling.” - Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy

Difference: -74

“Breaking a bone in his lower leg could really hamper McFarland's ability to contribute early in his college career. He didn't play a down during the regular season for DeMatha so it will be important for McFarland to make sure he is great shape before he gets to college. Miami and Maryland are battling for his commitment.” - Mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman

Difference: -105

“We've always been higher on Herring than most and while his team is having a great year, he's struggled at times when facing top-flight offensive linemen. The recent Georgia commit has a nice array of pass-rushing moves and still has a very high ceiling, but will need to focus on adding strength in order to deal with bigger, stronger offensive linemen at the college level.” - Southeast analyst Woody Wommack

Difference: -63

“It was a bit of a down year for Lawler. He is more of a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker and wasn't the terror off the edge that he was last year or even this offseason during the camp circuit. The North Carolina commit was hurt off and on during this season and he never really got into a groove as a pass rusher. Lawler will add strength in college and be able to stand up against the run better.” - Friedman

Difference: -102

“Adams is one of the more physical linebackers in the country and he sees running lanes very quickly but he was beaten to the edge too many times this season. He will need to get faster once he gets to Notre Dame to be the dominant interior enforcer he was at Central Catholic. It will also be important for him to develop his pass coverage techniques.” - Friedman

Difference: -89

“Harris has been committed to TCU since May of 2015. Harris slid after the fall because he’s spent this season playing nose guard for his high school team and lost some of the physique he had early on as an exciting young interior lineman. He could have been devastating this season lining up next to teammate Chuck Filiaga.” - Texas analyst Nick Krueger

Difference: -137

“Foster's position at Clemson has become a bit of a question mark. He has gotten much bigger and could turn out to be a defensive lineman or potentially an inside linebacker. Foster is still very physical and does a good job getting to the ball carrier but his size and learning a new position could slow his development.” - Friedman

Difference: -140

“Beal is one of the most perplexing prospects in the class. He's freakishly athletic and his upside is tremendous. But nagging injuries have slowed him from showing that dominance on the field. The Georgia commit showed flashes of greatness this fall while at IMG Academy, but will need to be more consistent in order to live up to his potential at the next level.” - Wommack

Difference: -55

“Neilon has phenomenal technique and he never gets beaten inside but the concern with him over the long term is his size. He should play center at USC so he doesn’t need to be massive but still there are huge defensive linemen in the Pac-12 and dealing with them on a routine basis might be an issue. Neilon didn’t lose many reps at the Five-Star Challenge this summer but he did get pushed back and that was because of his smaller size.” - Gorney

Advertisement