Mike Farrell on the following awhile ago ...
ON THE TOP PICK OVERALL NATIONALLY
... As always let’s start at the top with the battle for No. 1. How serious of a debate was it when it came to naming Bryan Bresee the No. 1 player in the class? Not that intense.
Bresee came to San Antonio to the All-American Bowl despite an injury that had his hand in a club wrapping and still dominated everyone. His non-stop effort and drive set him apart and he has special abilities. He reminds me of
Rashan Gary, who went on to be a first-rounder in the NFL because both players are very versatile and athletic.
The two quarterbacks — Bryce Young and D.J. Uiagalelei – were under consideration of course but as a group we never really hesitated in naming Bresee. Will he have an impact on college football like our 2018 and 2019 No. 1 prospects – Trevor Lawrence and Derek Stingley, Jr. – did as freshmen? That’s a high bar to set. No pressure, Mr. Bresee.
ON QUARTERBACK
Young barely beat out Uiagalelei in one of the better battles in recent years and it came down to game performance. Uiagalelei has a higher ceiling with his size and similar mobility to Young but Young has that something about him that makes you feel you’re watching the next great small quarterback. This shows how much things have changed from the days when Russell Wilson was a two-star that everyone wanted to turn into a wide receiver to now. Harrison Bailey was the other five-star quarterback in the class but he’s far from Young and Uiagalelei when it comes to long-term potential. He’s very good, but he wasn’t in the discussion for top quarterback.
ON DEFENSIVE END
In the end it was Myles Murphy who ran away with this battle over Jordan Burch. Burch is a great talent and remains a highly ranked five-star but there are motor and effort questions and he can sometimes disappear. I was worried about Murphy’s aggressiveness but he showed that's not a problem in San Antonio and he has amazing upside.
ON LINEBACKER
Justin Flowe hung on to his top linebacker ranking but it was much closer than we expected at the beginning of the cycle. Flowe began the cycle battling for No. 1 overall and finishes at No. 8 which is still very impressive. However, both Noah Sewell and Trenton Simpson gave Flowe a run for his money at the end. At the top this is a really good linebacker class.
ON FRED DAVIS
Davis was a guy on the brink of losing that fifth star for a while and a rough week at the All-American Bowl did him in. He looked lost in coverage too often and didn’t turn and run as well as expected. The upside is still there of course but he didn’t finish out the cycle strong.
ON WALKER PARKS
Parks has that build you want as an offensive tackle heading into college because he can add a lot of good weight and get stronger each year. We look back at some of the recent first-rounders at the position and many weren’t massive in high school. Parks is one to keep an eye on.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE to see all of our officially licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
ON THE TOP PICK OVERALL NATIONALLY
... As always let’s start at the top with the battle for No. 1. How serious of a debate was it when it came to naming Bryan Bresee the No. 1 player in the class? Not that intense.
Bresee came to San Antonio to the All-American Bowl despite an injury that had his hand in a club wrapping and still dominated everyone. His non-stop effort and drive set him apart and he has special abilities. He reminds me of
Rashan Gary, who went on to be a first-rounder in the NFL because both players are very versatile and athletic.
The two quarterbacks — Bryce Young and D.J. Uiagalelei – were under consideration of course but as a group we never really hesitated in naming Bresee. Will he have an impact on college football like our 2018 and 2019 No. 1 prospects – Trevor Lawrence and Derek Stingley, Jr. – did as freshmen? That’s a high bar to set. No pressure, Mr. Bresee.
ON QUARTERBACK
Young barely beat out Uiagalelei in one of the better battles in recent years and it came down to game performance. Uiagalelei has a higher ceiling with his size and similar mobility to Young but Young has that something about him that makes you feel you’re watching the next great small quarterback. This shows how much things have changed from the days when Russell Wilson was a two-star that everyone wanted to turn into a wide receiver to now. Harrison Bailey was the other five-star quarterback in the class but he’s far from Young and Uiagalelei when it comes to long-term potential. He’s very good, but he wasn’t in the discussion for top quarterback.
ON DEFENSIVE END
In the end it was Myles Murphy who ran away with this battle over Jordan Burch. Burch is a great talent and remains a highly ranked five-star but there are motor and effort questions and he can sometimes disappear. I was worried about Murphy’s aggressiveness but he showed that's not a problem in San Antonio and he has amazing upside.
ON LINEBACKER
Justin Flowe hung on to his top linebacker ranking but it was much closer than we expected at the beginning of the cycle. Flowe began the cycle battling for No. 1 overall and finishes at No. 8 which is still very impressive. However, both Noah Sewell and Trenton Simpson gave Flowe a run for his money at the end. At the top this is a really good linebacker class.
ON FRED DAVIS
Davis was a guy on the brink of losing that fifth star for a while and a rough week at the All-American Bowl did him in. He looked lost in coverage too often and didn’t turn and run as well as expected. The upside is still there of course but he didn’t finish out the cycle strong.
ON WALKER PARKS
Parks has that build you want as an offensive tackle heading into college because he can add a lot of good weight and get stronger each year. We look back at some of the recent first-rounders at the position and many weren’t massive in high school. Parks is one to keep an eye on.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE to see all of our officially licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
