Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
With the state of Georgia boasting the top two players in the 2018 class and a top five prospect in 2019, the landscape of our all-time Rivals.com Georgia Top 10 has changed quite a bit. Here’s a look at the highest ranked players to come out of the Peach State.
1. TREVOR LAWRENCE
The skinny: Lawrence trimmed his list down to Clemson and Georgia before committing to the Tigers in December, 2016. He remained very firm with his commitment throughout the remainder of his process. As an early enrollee, Lawrence will battle with returning starter Kelly Bryant, former five-star Hunter Johnson and former-four star Chase Brice during the spring and summer for the starting job.
Farrell’s take: Lawrence is the best quarterback I have scouted in high school, replacing Josh Rosen, which is saying something. He is the perfect combination of size, mobility, arm strength, accuracy, pocket presence and football sense. Barring injury, there is no way he can fail. He’s the closest thing to a “can’t-miss” quarterback I have ever seen.
2. ROBERT NKEMDICHE
The skinny: Nkemdiche initially committed to Clemson, but with his brother playing at Ole Miss, the Rebels were always seen as the favorite. He finally committed to Ole Miss over LSU and Florida on Signing Day. After a productive, yet unspectacular collegiate career, Nkemdiche was drafted with the 29th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft by Arizona. In two seasons with the Cardinals, he has totaled 12 tackles.
Farrell’s take: Nkemdiche went bell-to-bell as the first Georgia prospect to finish No. 1 in the country through a rankings cycle back in the 2013 class, although he was pushed hard by a few others. The jury is still out on many guys on this list because so many are recent recruits, but Nkemdiche has been a disappointment overall. By our measure, a solid career in college and first-round grade is a home run for us, but he’s been a flop in the pros and should have had a much better college career. He had it all coming out of high school – size, agility, quickness in pursuit and power.
3. JUSTIN FIELDS
The skinny: Fields was initially committed to Penn State, before re-opening his process during the summer. After considering several schools, including LSU, Florida State and Florida, Fields decided to stay in-state and committed to the Bulldogs. As an early enrollee, he is already on campus ready to push Jake Fromm during the spring and summer.
Farrell’s take: Fields was a shade behind Lawrence in the rankings at No. 2 overall, but the difference, to me, is pretty large. That being said, he’s still one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks I’ve scouted because he has the size, arm strength, mobility and natural instincts of a quarterback who can kill you with his arm or legs. He’s not as polished as a passer as Lawrence, but he’s much more mobile and both prospects should go on to have stellar careers.
4. ERIC BERRY
The skinny: Berry committed to Tennessee over Auburn and Georgia in December, crediting his strong relationship to the coaching staff. After an accomplished collegiate career in Knoxville, Berry was selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2010 NLF Draft by Kansas City, where he has spent his entire professional career. Despite a torn ACL and battling through Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Berry has still established himself as one of the top safeties in the league.
Farrell’s take: Berry was easily one of the most naturally talented prospects I have ever seen in person as he did everything with fluidity and ease. But he also liked to hit and was big in run support, so projecting him as a future star wasn’t that difficult. Jimmy Clausen was the bell-to-bell guy for us that year with Joe McKnight No. 1 on some other sites, but Berry was the sure thing of the class. The comeback from cancer for the talented Vols legacy has been inspirational and he will likely go down as one of the top 5 high school corners I have ever seen.
5. CARL LAWSON
The skinny: Lawson was a spring commitment to Auburn, but then re-opening his process after Gene Chizik was fired. After taking official visits to Clemson and Tennessee, new coach Guz Malzahn was able to bring Lawson back to the Tigers. At Auburn, he enjoyed his best season in 2016, when he was named both first team All-SEC and All-American. Selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by Cincinnati, Lawson totaled 16 tackles and 8.5 sacks during his rookie season with the Bengals.
Farrell’s take: Lawson was simply unstoppable on his meteoric to near the top of the rankings in 2013 and only a couple of inches in height separated him and Nkemdiche when it came to who was No. 1 in the state and the country. He’s in very good company at the top of the rankings in what is turning out to be one of the most talented five-star classes we’ve ever had and is already off to a great start for his NFL career.
6. JADON HASELWOOD
The skinny: While Haselwood is an early commitment to Georgia, he hasn’t closed the recruiting door completely. He has previously mentioned Oklahoma is his “dream school” and he is likely to make a return trip to Norman during the spring. There is also the likelihood that he will take a visit to both USC and UCLA in the coming months. However, his relationship with coach Kirby Smart continues to develop, so getting him away from the Bulldogs will be a difficult task.
Farrell’s take: This is obviously a very early ranking for Haselwood, so it will be determined whether he can stay in the top 10 historically or not. He’s a talented kid for sure and one of the elite receivers in the 2019 class, but there are others that are also very talented and we have four more ranking cycles left in the class.
7. TRENTON THOMPSON
The skinny: With Georgia being his first offer, the Bulldogs were always at the top for Thompson. So despite taking closer looks at Auburn, USC and Florida State, he didn’t pull any surprises when he committed to the Bulldogs. Thompson had three productive seasons in Athens, with his best campaign coming in 2016 with 64 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss and five sacks. After the 2017 season he decided to forego his final season and declared for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Farrell’s take: Thompson was the first defensive tackle to be named No. 1 in the country as he led our 2015 rankings and landed at No. 7 overall behind Khalil McKenzie mainly because of the latter’s amazing size and agility combination. However, it hasn’t surprised me to see Thompson have a better career in college as he’s more athletic and can work his way down the line of scrimmage and to the outside to make plays better while McKenzie is more of a natural 3-4 fit as an NFL lineman. Both are outstanding prospects and it was a heated debate as to who was No. 1 at the defensive tackle position that year. He should be drafted much higher than McKenzie and have a better pro career, so we likely should have kept him ahead of the Vols defensive tackle.
8. BRANDON MILLER
The skinny: Miller, who kept his process pretty quiet, trimmed his list down to Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida and Florida State before committing to the Bulldogs on Signing Day. In Athens, Miller’s career never really flourished, with only 73 tackles and six sacks during his career. After going undrafted, Miller had opportunities with both Atlanta and Seattle during the following two seasons, but he was never able to make any impact at the NFL level.
Farrell’s take: Miller has to be deemed a bust overall with his lofty ranking and the expectations that came with being a terror off the edge. He should have had more of an impact in college based on his ability, but this shows how hard it was to scout back in 2004 as opposed to today where we see players so many more times. Miller had the length and quickness off the edge to be a star but certainly did not play to those advantages enough.
9. DEMETRIUS ROBERTSON
The skinny: Robertson initially committed to Alabama, but then after re-opening his process, he didn’t sign with a school until three months after Signing Day. Most expected Robertson to sign with Georgia or Notre Dame, even though he had already signed a financial aid agreement with Cal, so when he stuck with the Golden Bears, many were surprised. Robertson had an impressive true freshman season in Berkley, but then saw 2017 shortened to three games after a lower body injury.
Farrell’s take: Effortless is the word to be used with Robertson, who could flat out fly, made everything look easy and gained separation on defensive backs while looking like he still has an extra gear he could kick in. His freshman year at Cal showed exactly what he can do on the field but his injury also showed the question marks some had about durability, because he wasn’t that big. This will be a big upcoming season.
10. DA'RICK ROGERS
The skinny: Rogers committed to Georgia over Florida in June, but then took an official visit to Tennessee in January. Two days before Signing Day, Rogers notified the Georgia coaching staff that he was flipping to the Vols. After an impressive 2011 season in Knoxville, Rogers was suddenly suspended, and eventually expelled, from the school for failing multiple drug tests. Playing his last collegiate season at Tennessee Tech, Rogers again impressed, but still went undrafted due to his off-the-field concerns. He played the 2013 season with Indianapolis, but an arrest for DUI charges in 2014 seemingly ended his NFL career. He’s been playing in the CFL recently.
Farrell’s take: This one is a shame because Rogers had so much talent and we could be talking about one of the NFL’s top receivers right now based on his size, speed and catch radius. This kid was a freak, the best wideout of the state of Georgia in my scouting career. He was a man amongst boys in high school, was thick and strong and could run like a deer and caught everything. He would have been an absolute star at Tennessee without his off-field issues and he’s a talent on par with some NFL leading receivers.