Thursday, October 3, 2013

Six more names to keep an eye on

Last week, we took a look at five prospects making a name for themselves this fall with their play on the gridiron. Today, we do the same. Six more prospects worth shining a light on with their performances through the month of September:

1. WR Stephen Denmark (6-3, 200, Tallahassee Rickards) – Rickards is off to a 4-0 start on the season, and coming off a stunning 43-42 triple overtime upset of Lincoln last week. A big reason for the Raiders' success is Denmark, who has already grabbed 20 receptions for 484 yards and six scores through four games. Denmark's stats are backed up by excellent Nike SPARQ testing numbers from the spring: a 4.70 40, 4.44 seconds in the short shuttle and a 36.5" vertical leap. Clearly a name to watch moving forward. Denmark doesn't look particularly "sudden" on film, but he does have enough size, speed and leaping ability to help stretch a defense from an outside receiver position.

2. TE Elkanah Dillon (6-5, 220, Ocala Vanguard) – With so few tight ends in the state of Florida, Dillon figures to pick up interest as he continues to pile up numbers this season. Through five games, Dillon has 22 receptions for 304 yards and six touchdowns for Vanguard. Good athlete for his size. He's a long, athletic player on film. More receiver than tight end at this point, but the frame is there. Looks like a small forward playing football, to be frank. He certainly seems to have more upside than a prospect like Moral Stephens in the Class of 2014.

3. Malik Robinson (6-7, 260, Tampa Freedom) – Robinson plays tight end and defensive end at the prep level. He's athletic for his size, but a bit lumbering to play those positions at the college level? Offensive tackle? Now that makes a lot more sense. Add 30 pounds to Robinson, and watch out! Definitely a bit of a project, but Robinson is a player with quite a bit of upside if the right team can tap into it.



4. OL R.J. Scaife (6-6, 260, Dade City Pasco) – Another Tampa-area big body who is primed to play major college football. Scaife has played tight end and on the defensive line for Pasco, but has now settled in at offensive tackle, where he projects to play on the next level. Scaife obviously has good length and moves well for his size. College recruiters are quite familiar with Pasco, so Scaife figures to see his recruitment pick up at some point in the near future.

5. DB JyQuis Thomas (6-1, 184, Plant City) – Has nice combo of size and speed (4.59 40) at the defensive back position. Has filled up the stat sheet so far this fall: 28 tackles (3.0 for loss), 1 interception, 3 PBU, 1 forced fumble, 1 blocked punt and a sack on the season through four games. Plays for a program that has produced a lot of talent in recent years. He's a physical and willing tackler on film. Not on the level of a Matt Elam, for instance, but if a team is looking at him to play corner, he's well above average for what is expected out of that position in terms of tackling ability.

6. WR/TE Jordan Franks (6-4, 210, Crawfordville Wakulla) – The brother of standout 2016 QB prospect Feleipe Franks, Jordan has been impressing in his own right this fall as the brothers have made for a prolific duo through the air. Franks has 37 receptions for 669 yards and 6 scores through the first five games as Wakulla is off to a 5-0 start. Franks would obviously fit into the "move" or "joker" tight end trend that has evolved in recent years.

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