SI99: A look at Prospects Ranked No. 11-20
SI All-American continues ongoing analysis of the top prospects in the class of 2021 after releasing the SI99 Monday.
11. OT JC Latham, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
6-foot-6, 305 pounds
Committed to Alabama
His ceiling. Latham is blessed with rare movement skills for a big man and his game is still developing. Once an aspiring defensive lineman, he made the permanent switch to OT last season and began to flourish. The ‘Bama pledge possesses good balance in his lower half that allows him to be the mythical “dancing bear” OL coaches covet. He can shadow rushers in space from a 45-degree pass-set with quick feet and shows the required recovery quickness needed to anchor the left island. His natural bend and easy agility will allow him to execute pulls, lateral reaches and climb to the second level without issue in the run game. As he improves his strength and refines his punch timing, Latham projects well as a future starting left tackle in Tuscaloosa.
12. IDL Damon Payne, Belleville (Mich.) Belleville
6-foot-4, 297 pounds
Committed to Alabama
Payne is a big interior defensive line prospect who plays to his size at the point. He’s got experience playing across the defensive front, as we’ve seen him line up at 0, 1, 3 and 5 technique on tape. The Michigan native loves to use a swim move to defeat blockers in the trenches and syncs up his lower-half well when clearing his hips at entry points. He also possesses plus COD traits and quickness to hunt in short areas. Payne also likes his swim/arm-over as a pass-rusher. He has both single-gap and 2-gap traits to his game, due to his penetration quickness, size, strength and tight-space athleticism. Payne could see time as a base 0-tech nose tackle for Alabama head coach Nick Saban, though he has the versatility to move across the defensive line since the Crimson Tide routinely deploys multiple fronts on Saturdays.
13. OT Amarius Mims, Cochran (Ga.) Bleckley County
6-foot-7, 295 pounds
Schools of Interest: Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia
Mims is another prospect with high-end left tackle traits. He carries his weight with ease and still has room to add even more mass. He’s a natural knee-bender with excellent athleticism and length. The Georgia native uses both a 45-degree set and mixes in a short-set in pass-protection to dance versus pass-rushers, and recovers well to combat inside moves. He uses his big hands to stymie, trap and bury, after playing to his size at the point. With his imposing frame and mass, Mims is effective as a base-blocker in the run game, and also takes solid angles when working up to cut off linebackers. As he continues refining his punch accuracy and progressing at blending his athleticism with technique, Mims should blossom.
14. CB Jason Marshall, Miami (Fla.) Palmetto
6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Committed to Florida
Marshall takes the top spot at one of the game's most important positions without much debate throughout the last few months. Through three varsity campaigns in tough and competitive south Florida, the big and fast cornerback has projected as the total package at the position. The Florida Gator commitment has the modern feel for the position, long enough to combat back-shoulders and 50/50 balls while challenging at the high point vertically -- but he has classic cornerback traits on his side as well. Marshall affects the football with elite instincts, savvy and some of the most fluidity in change of direction and/or breaking scenarios. He is polished enough to challenge wideouts in press-man with enough long speed to occupy a deeper zone as needed.
15. QB Brock Vandagriff, Bogart (Ga.) Prince Avenue Christian
6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Committed to Georgia
Possessing a promising frame that appears to have gotten even stronger this offseason, Vandagriff is an elite decision-maker with ideal physical tools. The Peach State native has plus arm strength and seamlessly ties his lower-half with his eyes and arm while clicking through his progressions from the pocket. Not to be restricted, Vandagriff possesses a good feel for perimeter pressure and enough athleticism and mobility to maneuver through traffic and produce off-schedule. He has a good 2-count release that allows him to drive the ball to targets through the third level and from the boundary to the field. Vandagriff projects well as the trigger man in an offense with 3-step and 5-step rhythm concepts in its passing game.
16. IDL Tywone Malone, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
6-foot-3, 290 pounds
Considering Ohio State, Clemson, Tennessee, Rutgers, USC, Alabama and others
With his fantastic athleticism, we’ve seen Malone line up at receiver and pluck passes with his mitts in traffic. He shows rare movement skills for an interior defensive lineman, often penetrating single gaps with snap quickness. The New Jersey native has a swim and bull-rush in his pass-rush toolbox, plus he has some ability to bend and corner with a flat angle to a passer’s launch point. Malone has enough strength and power to punch and peek at the point, stack and be responsible for dual gaps in the run game. He will need to play with better leverage and pad level at the point, but he has traits of a swing interior tackle who can play 1,3, 4i and 5-technique for a defense.
17. LB Xavian Sorey, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
6-foot-3, 210 pounds
Considering Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Auburn
Another two-way talent, Sorey physically looks like a young college football player right now and his game is in even better position. The overall athleticism is head-turning on tape to the point the north Florida native can likely tote the rock in college if need be, though there is so much more upside at linebacker. He's as comfortable in space as any prospect his size given strong safety experience, with explosive flashes downhill and pop upon contact. What separates Sorey further, beyond the frame and positional versatility, is the coverage skill and true security with the ball in the air. Fluid hips and plus awareness combine to make him an ideal signal caller on passing downs with the ability to play in the slot, man up on a back or spy the passers who are running threats on third down. As he gains experience and polish as a true off-ball 'backer in 2020 at IMG Academy, there could be contention at the top of the list.
18. DE Dylan Brooks, Roanoke (Ala.) Handley
6-foot-5, 250 pounds
Committed to Tennessee
Brooks is another player that is high on both our Edge board and overall board. He combines ideal length with solid activity with his mitts, including a chop and a powerful longarm stab. After he routinely reduces ground quickly on blockers, the long-framed Brooks shows enough ability to bend at entry points, before using a long stride to close and finish. With his length, Brooks can be a nightmare for passers trying to manipulate throwing lanes, as his arms and mitts present difficult obstacles. The future Vol also can be productive in the run game, showing solid scheme-read traits and mental processing, plus quick-shed ability versus tight ends and running backs. Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is defensive-minded at heart and Brooks has the skill set to be a cornerstone defender on the edges in Knoxville.
19. S James Williams, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage
6-foot-4, 214 pounds
Committed to Miami
Williams is not only the top safety on our board, he’s one the elite overall prospects in this class, regardless of position. Possessing rare size, Williams likely has a defensive-oriented head coach like Manny Diaz dreaming of the various packages and concepts he can design at Miami. We feel Williams can play a “monster-back” role, splitting snaps between single-high safety, split-safety, nickel, off-ball linebacker and even edge. He has good eye discipline and anticipation in zone concepts, along with plus ball skills. Williams also has savvy and good timing as a blitzer to offer the Hurricanes a player to use in 3rd-level pressure packages. While Williams likely will want to begin his career as a true cornerback, and it’s not out of the question, he could become a star in a featured monster-back role.
20. IDL Leonard Taylor, Miami (Fla.) Palmetto
6-foot-4, 265 pounds
Committed to Miami
A big recruiting win for Miami, Taylor is among the top defensive prospects in the country. He’s impressive on the hoof with a great frame, and has long arms that are noticeable on tape. Taylor relies very heavily on his swim move versus the run and pass, and flashes good bendability at entry points to achieve sinkage and clear his hips to defeat offensive linemen. The future Hurricane has good athleticism, often showing hip flexibility, balance and short-area quickness to finish on ball-carriers. While there’s a slight chance Taylor sees time as a “Viper” early in his career for Miami head coach Manny Diaz, we expect him to blossom as a playmaking interior defensive lineman before he leaves Coral Gables.
More SI99 Coverage
Inaugural SI All-American SI99 Released
College Programs Dominating the SI99
SIAA's 2021 Rankings by Position
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