The Opening regional in New Orleans produced six more invitations to the final. Here are some of the top performances and observations from Saturday's event:
It all starts upfront
The roster for Saturday's camp featured a talented group of defensive linemen which did not disappoint. Leading the way was ESPN Junior 300 Edward Oliver, who secured an Opening invite with his performance. He is not the physically imposing presence that some of the top D-Line prospects can be, but when it comes time to compete he certainly stands out as an intense and active defender that can create problems. He was tough to handle in one-on-ones using a quick first-step and active hands to consistently beat blockers. He was able to fire off low and demonstrated a good rip move.
ESPN Junior 300 DE Janarius Robinson is a physically impressive prospect who possesses a wonderful combination of height and bulk. When he stayed low and used his speed he was tough to stop. At times he struggled to translate coaching tips to his reps and fully maximize his strengths, but he has very good ability and flashed the promise that can also be seen on film.
#ESPNJr300 DE & #FSU commit Janarius Robinson 1-on-1's New Orleans @TheOpening #Noles https://t.co/pQYgTxV54s
— Craig Haubert (@CraigHaubert) March 28, 2015Andre Anthony was one of the surprise performers among this group. He has a lean, lengthy build and needs to add mass, but was very good in utilizing his reach and being active with his hands and flashes a little shake to set up blockers and showed real promise as an edge-rusher.
Second identity
Another ESPN Junior 300 DL in attendance was Raekwon Davis. The Alabama commit took reps on both sides of the ball and created some intrigue with his performance working at offensive tackle. The Mississippi prospect is a massive physical presence and certainly brings value as a defensive prospect where he has the size and strength to occupy blockers and eat up space when he stays low. While currently rated as a DT prospect, and could remain there, his reps at OT showed that there could be a higher ceiling for him at that position. With his size and length he makes a tough obstacle to navigate around, displaying the ability to ride speed rushers past the pocket as well as wash them down when they tried to come inside. He needs to develop technically, but can move well for his size flashing the ability to stay in front of rushers when he gets hands on and stays low.
Got you covered
Another talented group at the event was the defensive backs. Nigel Knott possesses a slight build, weighing in at just over 170 pounds, but plays much bigger with a physical style. He is an instinctive and smooth athlete with a competitive demeanor and was strong in one-on-one coverage, put together an excellent performance from start to finish.
Kristian Fulton is a savvy player who utilizes his length and displays very good one-on-one coverage skills on film. He was one of the top performers at the event. LSU commit Clifford Chattman was an interesting prospect among the DB group. He is tall, lengthy safety prospect who reminds us of fellow 2016 prospect and FSU commit Jamel Cook. He needs to continue to grow into his rangy frame and is more a developmental prospect at this stage, but did show some promising upside. Christian Wallace is another prospect who flashed at times Saturday. A safety prospect with very nice size, he displayed a competitive nature and physical style in coverage.
Big Tigers targets
Not surprisingly, LSU had several commits taking part in the camp including a pair of big ESPN Junior 300 receiving targets in WR Stephen Sullivan and TE Jamal Pettigrew.
Sullivan is a monster-sized target with a tall, broad and lengthy frame. He has big hands and can just engulf the football. While not a burner, his size makes him a difficult matchup, especially in the redzone. The huge receiver could grow into more of a TE role in college, but however utilized, he presents a nice target for future Tigers quarterbacks.
Already listed as a TE, Pettigrew brings similar size, though with a little more powerful base, but not quite as broad and lengthy. Arguably a little more natural of a pass-catcher, he possesses strong ball skills and can go up and attack the football.
#ESPNJr300 RB & #OleMiss verbal Justin Connor #HottyToddy @ESPNRNFball https://t.co/gWVPMVDHcW
— Craig Haubert (@CraigHaubert) March 28, 2015Running Rebel
Ole Miss running back commit Justin Connor has very nice size and length with a frame to support more good mass. His top-end speed might not be elite, but he is a big back that showed very good suddenness to make defenders miss and has the tools to develop into a productive, down-hill, between-the-tackles runner. He didn't look as comfortable catching the football and that is an area for further development, but has the tools to grow into a tough, load-carrier for the Rebels.
On the horizon
These camps always feature a handful of 2017 prospects that can be hard to ignore. Leading that group was 2017 RB and LSU commit Dylan Moses. He has already been on recruiting radars for a while now and it is easy to see why. A physically impressive, if not almost freakish prospect, Moses towered over the group of RBs and didn't look like the youngster in the group physically or in performance. He blends a wonderful combination of size, speed and quickness and also demonstrates the ability to be well-rounded, displaying good receiving skills. He could also be a promising LB prospect and took a few reps with group as well Saturday.
Among the defensive line standouts was 2017 DT Marvin Wilson out of Texas. He possesses excellent size at this stage, and in one-on-ones, displayed good competitiveness and some feel, displaying ability to attack with a powerful club move.
You could see why 2017 QB prospect Lowell Narcisse is already gaining a good deal of attention from recruiters. The lefty struggled some with accuracy during the day, but displayed a strong arm and quick release and brings some promising tools to work with.