- Joined
- Oct 21, 2011
- Messages
- 15,478
My rankings are based on what I observe as perceived attention/mentions vs talent.
1. Robert Stafford - Easy to lose sight of this kid's talent when we're chasing the #1 CB in the nation (who's eating max attention). Nonetheless, love Stafford's skill set and feet. He rarely gets mentioned, so I think the mentions:talent ratio is highest for him. Because of bulk issues, he may not play absolutely immediately, but we'll check back on this one in a couple years.
2. Riley Williams - I debated dropping him a couple spots down the list, but kept noticing how little he gets mentioned. The dude is a seam buster from Day 1. He has size, straight line speed, and yet is a relative after thought in the class because of so many other needs and highly ranked players. I hope Arroyo returns and Skinner adds the necessary mass, but I suspect Riley immediately sees the field regardless. Part of this is that I expect/hope/pray we move to a different style of offense than we just endured, so his diverse skill set fits in multiple scenarios.
3. Bobby Washington - Overshadowed by his explosive brother and strangely low ranking. A few meme level highlight clips from his senior season raised his profile, but I don't think enough. If you had the chance to watch his dad run, you see a similar stride with this kid. He closes with ease, and outside of discipline issues some have mentioned (which I don't personally know about, but recognize others have referenced), the biggest factor holding him back will likely be how he processes what he sees at a faster college level. Haven't seen enough of him to judge that aspect, but the upside is huge here - regardless of ranking. Surprisingly, the floor (for us) is pretty high, too. He should immediately contribute on PR and KO.
4. Francisco Mauigoa - Overshadowed by his highly ranked brother and a tremendous LB class. I've already read some mention him as just a "solid" or "ok" depth addition. I disagree. I think he's immediately in the rotation and provides an incredible complement to Bissainthe. I hope Chase Smith sticks around and learns/grows right behind him, as now we have more than a few modern LBs who can cover. We might actually finally shrink the previously enormous curl/flat and slant zone gaps.
5. Tommy Kinsler - Again, easy to get overlooked when a couple of your classmates are Top 3 in the nation at their position. I haven't seen him listed as an EE, so this may take some time to come to fruition. I view him a lot like I viewed Anez Cooper last year: an absolute mammoth OL with plus feet. The questions will be around worth ethic, motor, and if he can refine his body composition as he gets developed by Mario/Mirabal. Really great upside here.
Honorable mention:
A. Frankie Tinilau - I actually got to watch a bit of Frankie this season and he can move far better than I had previously thought. So, this is mostly based on size/movement attributes vs being the "worst rated" OL in his very strong class.
B. Davonte Brown - The kid may very well be a starter next season, and yet for a number of reasons - Cormani, his brother choosing us over Bama, etc. - rarely gets mentioned.
1. Robert Stafford - Easy to lose sight of this kid's talent when we're chasing the #1 CB in the nation (who's eating max attention). Nonetheless, love Stafford's skill set and feet. He rarely gets mentioned, so I think the mentions:talent ratio is highest for him. Because of bulk issues, he may not play absolutely immediately, but we'll check back on this one in a couple years.
2. Riley Williams - I debated dropping him a couple spots down the list, but kept noticing how little he gets mentioned. The dude is a seam buster from Day 1. He has size, straight line speed, and yet is a relative after thought in the class because of so many other needs and highly ranked players. I hope Arroyo returns and Skinner adds the necessary mass, but I suspect Riley immediately sees the field regardless. Part of this is that I expect/hope/pray we move to a different style of offense than we just endured, so his diverse skill set fits in multiple scenarios.
3. Bobby Washington - Overshadowed by his explosive brother and strangely low ranking. A few meme level highlight clips from his senior season raised his profile, but I don't think enough. If you had the chance to watch his dad run, you see a similar stride with this kid. He closes with ease, and outside of discipline issues some have mentioned (which I don't personally know about, but recognize others have referenced), the biggest factor holding him back will likely be how he processes what he sees at a faster college level. Haven't seen enough of him to judge that aspect, but the upside is huge here - regardless of ranking. Surprisingly, the floor (for us) is pretty high, too. He should immediately contribute on PR and KO.
4. Francisco Mauigoa - Overshadowed by his highly ranked brother and a tremendous LB class. I've already read some mention him as just a "solid" or "ok" depth addition. I disagree. I think he's immediately in the rotation and provides an incredible complement to Bissainthe. I hope Chase Smith sticks around and learns/grows right behind him, as now we have more than a few modern LBs who can cover. We might actually finally shrink the previously enormous curl/flat and slant zone gaps.
5. Tommy Kinsler - Again, easy to get overlooked when a couple of your classmates are Top 3 in the nation at their position. I haven't seen him listed as an EE, so this may take some time to come to fruition. I view him a lot like I viewed Anez Cooper last year: an absolute mammoth OL with plus feet. The questions will be around worth ethic, motor, and if he can refine his body composition as he gets developed by Mario/Mirabal. Really great upside here.
Honorable mention:
A. Frankie Tinilau - I actually got to watch a bit of Frankie this season and he can move far better than I had previously thought. So, this is mostly based on size/movement attributes vs being the "worst rated" OL in his very strong class.
B. Davonte Brown - The kid may very well be a starter next season, and yet for a number of reasons - Cormani, his brother choosing us over Bama, etc. - rarely gets mentioned.
