Rico Flores Showing Huge Improvement During Strong Start To His Senior Season
Folsom (Calif.) High School 2023 wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. is too often an overlooked member of the extremely talented 2023 wide receiver group for Notre Dame. Flores is one of the more nuanced route runners in the country, but others tend to attract more attention.
Flores looks like he could get dropped into a college wide receiver room right now and compete. The 2023 group is, of course, an incredibly talented one. It’s easy to get excited about any of the four wide receiver commits.
Austin (Texas) Westlake star Jaden Greathouse has seemed to have already become a fan favorite even before he steps foot on campus. Greathouse is a big bodied pass catcher who brings an alpha mentality to the position. Whether it is dominating the catch point, winning after the catch, or blocking on the perimeter, the Texas native competes and dominates at everything he does. Couple that with his advanced feel as a route runner, and you have a potentially dominant player on the next level.
Then there is Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point pass catcher Braylon James, who is undeniably the most gifted member of the four man class. Long and explosive at 6-3 and 185 pounds, James is the prototype boundary wide receiver in this offense that can take the top off of the defense. If you need any further convincing of the talent level, just look up James’ track and field numbers. He is the height-weight-speed dynamo that fans with undoubtedly clamor for.
Don’t forget Derby (Kan.) High School athlete Dylan Edwards, who is as dynamic of a playmaker as you will find in all of high school football, and especially in the 2023 recruiting class. While he is a diminutive slot receiver on the next level at right around 5-9 and 165 pounds, Edwards is a speed merchant who has put up some gaudy stat lines over the last couple of years. He is a true threat to score every time he touches the football, whether that is as a runner, pass catcher or return man. Fans will quickly hold that speed in high regard.
Before the season, Flores was viewed as a college ready pass catcher who may not possess any elite traits athletically. That, along with several other enticing wide receivers in the class, has caused him to go underappreciated. What some did not consider, however, is that players can take a massive jump from junior to senior year.
We have seen that through three games with Flores.
It is not as much a production bump. He has been a highly productive pass catcher for Folsom since his snap on varsity as a freshman, including 1,157 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 81 receptions as a junior. He has, of course, continued that high level of production.
So far through three games, Flores has exploded for 344 yards and two touchdowns on 19 receptions. That is good enough for 18.1 yards per catch and 114.7 receiving yards per contest. How he is getting those numbers is what should have everyone so fired up.
Before the season, I would have described Flores as a “smooth pass catcher with good, but not great vertical speed.” Through those three games, Flores looks like a completely different caliber of athlete.
Not only does he look more explosive, he also looks more filled out and powerful. The smoothness has not disappeared. Flores is still incredibly polished through his stem, showing a great understanding for how to set up routes. He has a proclivity for “stepping on defender’s toes and attacking blind spots” to create easy separation.
Those moments, however, were already on film. His breakaway speed is something that has definitely improved tremendously. This has already made him a much more explosive and problematic YAC receiver with the football in his hands.
Flores possesses an outstanding baseline as a wide receiver. He is an advanced route runner who is going to be college ready in that department early on. His bump as an athlete offers a lot more upside than what may have been previously stated.
It is time to stop sleeping on Rice Flores in the Notre Dame class. He has the look of an early contributor who could become a valuable member of a talented Notre Dame receiving corp on the next level.
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