23′ Rankings: WR Breakdowns Pt. 1
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Over the next few months we’re going to be diving into our rankings positional breakdowns to highlight every single student athlete received the honor of being ranked. We’ve added over 300+ prospects to our class of 23′ rankings with another 100+ added to the watchlist. If you feel like you should be ranked fill out our FREE Prospect Player Index which not only gets you on our radar but also college coaches’ radar’s as they can contact you straight off your account as it’s NCAA Approved. Enough said, we’re diving into part one of our positional rankings breakdowns with the wide receivers. Let’s dive into it.
Malik Elzy Malik Elzy 6'3" | 195 lbs | WR Simeon | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Elzy was a name I had on my radar heading into the fall season and one that I was keeping an eye on as he was impressive during his sophomore season campaign. I wasn’t able to scout this young man in person but I was able to catch part of his game online as well as analyze his full season highlights and compare them to his previous season to see his growth. He’s projected as an X receiver at the next level that has a good foundational skill set to work one on one. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage where he can gain a step advantage and use that to stack the defender setting the defender up to be broken off at the top of the route to create separation on the play. This young man isn’t afraid to go up for 50/50 balls where he’ll attack the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch. If you try to press him, he’s going to use his quick feet to gain outside release and step advantage which he’ll use to win over the top. What’s impressive is his understanding of spacing as he can find the soft spot in zone coverage and will sit to become an outlet for his quarterback. Upon securing the catch, this young man gets vertical quickly showcasing his next level gear while he outruns pursuit angles and blows by 2nd level defenders. He has a handful of P5 Offers on his table and I expect that list to continue to grow as, in my eyes, he’s one of the top receivers we have in the state for his class. Highlights
Ryan Boyd Ryan Boyd 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR Cardinal Ritter | 2023 State MO Twitter
Mr. Boyd was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and wanted to see how he would produce. I got the chance to see part of a game online as well as scout this young man in person during the 6A IHSA State Championship game. He’s projected as an X receiver at the next level and can produce as a Z as well. I believe he can also add value working out of the slot in situational packages to get a mismatch against the linebacker. This young man is quick off the line of scrimmage where he uses his step advantage to stack the defender and breaks him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. If you try to press him he can win over the top by utilizing outside as well as taking an inside release after he uses his fast feet to beat the press. During zone coverage, he understands spacing well where he can find the soft spot in the coverage and sit to become an outlet for his quarterback. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical quickly and showcases his elusiveness by making the first defender miss in open space. On deep shots downfield, he can attack the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch when going up for 50/50 balls. What’s most impressive is his ability to get his foot inbounds when securing sideline catches as at times he just barely gets his foot in – a skill set that not many receivers can do at a high level in high school. I believe his stock is going to explode during his senior season campaign as he’s positioned to take over as the X receiver with Standout Luther Burden Luther Burden 6'2" | 185 lbs | WR East St Louis | 2022 State IL heading to the next level. Highlights
KeShon Singleton KeShon Singleton 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Sacred Heart-Griffin | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Singleton was a name I had on my radar coming into this fall season and one that I believe is flying under the radar for his skill set as well as the potential he brings to the table. I not only got the chance to analyze his full season highlights, but I also got the chance to scout him in person during the 4A IHSA State Championship game where he made his impact felt. He’s projected as a prototypical X receiver at the next level and can also get it done as a Z receiver if need be. What I like most about this young man is his awareness/understanding of the quarterback scramble drill where he’ll get himself open to become an outlet for his quarterback which keeps the chains moving. This young man is quick off the line of scrimmage where he then stacks the defender before breaking the defender off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. He attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch when going up for 50/50 balls and has a good understanding of spacing as he can find the soft spot in zone coverage where he’ll sit to become an outlet for his quarterback. If you give this young man a free release he will more than likely win over the top with his speed unless you’re bracket covering him. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical quickly weaving in and out of defenders while he showcases his next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders. He’s also used in the return game where he gets vertical quickly as he changes his gears to set his team up in good starting field positions as well as has the ability to return a few for touchdowns. I can’t speak highly enough about this young man as I’m sure his stock is going to rise during this off season and possibly explode during his senior season campaign. Highlights
Kahlil Tate Kahlil Tate 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Kenwood | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Tate was a name on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I was keeping an eye on. I didn’t get the chance to scout this young man in person but after analyzing his full season highlights it’s evident that he can play at a high level. He’s projected as an X receiver at the next level that can get it done as a Z as well as get put in the slot at times to create a mismatch against the linebacker. This young man is quick off the line of scrimmage which he gains the step advantage and uses that to stack the defenders before breaking him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. He has a good understanding of spacing where he can find the soft spot in zone coverage and sit to become an outlet for his quarterback to keep the chains moving. During the quarterback scramble drill, we get to see his awareness to notice this quickly and get himself open to become an outlet for his quarterback. When running deep shots downfield, he attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch when going up on 50/50 balls and he can win over the top with his speed. Upon securing the catch, this young man gets vertical quickly weaving in and out of defenders showcasing his next level gear while he outruns pursuit angles as well as blows by 2nd level defenders. In the return game, he gets vertical quickly and further showcases his next level gear while he sets his team up in good starting field position as well as has the ability to return them for touchdowns. This young man is already collecting a handful of P5 Offers, more are sure to come. Highlights
Logan Lester Logan Lester 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Kenwood | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Lestor was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and is apart of the one-two punch with Kahlil Tate Kahlil Tate 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Kenwood | 2023 State IL . I didn’t get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlight and compare it to where he was at last season to see his growth. He’s projected as an X receiver at the next level even though he spent a majority of the season working as a Z, a point can be made he was still an X as both he and Kahlil Tate Kahlil Tate 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Kenwood | 2023 State IL are X caliber receivers. This young man is quick off the line of scrimmage where he can stack the defender before breaking him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. What’s most impressive is his ability to attack the ball at the highest point on 50/50 shots downfield as well as in the redzone during back pylon throws. Both of which this young man plays above the rim to come away with the contested catch. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical while he weaves in and out of defenders in open space. This young man has a good understanding of spacing as he can find the soft spot in zone coverage and sit to become an outlet for his quarterback which keeps the chains moving. Currently has a few FBS offers and I expect his stock to continue to rise during these next few months. Highlights
Grant Larkin Grant Larkin 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Neuqua Valley | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Larkin was a name that I had on my radar heading into this fall season and one I wanted to see how he would produce with a full season under his belt. I didn’t get the chance to scout him in person but I was able to catch part of his game online as well as analyze his full season highlights and compare them to where he was at the end of last season to see the growth. He’s projected as a Z receiver at the next level and has the potential to become an X receiver. He primarily worked out of the slot during this fall season to get the mismatch advantage against the linebacker and spent some time at running back as well. This young man is quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to gain the step advantage against the linebacker and can stack before breaking him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. He has a good understanding of spacing as he can find the soft spot in zone coverage where he’ll sit to become an outlet for his quarterback keeping the chains moving. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical weaving in and out of defenders as well as showcases his elusiveness by making the first defender miss in open space. When he runs jet sweeps, he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner and he can burst through the line of scrimmage when lined up at halfback. Both of which, he keeps his feet driving breaking weak arm tackles in the process while he fights for extra yards. He’s also used in the return game where he changes his gears quickly while he gets vertical setting his team up in good starting field position as well as having the ability to return them for touchdowns. His recruitment has been picking up these last few days as he’s landed an FCS Offer from Illinois State University. I believe the best is yet to come for this young man as his potential is high, keep your eyes on this young man during his senior season campaign. Highlights
Ryan Sims Ryan Sims 6'4" | 200 lbs | WR Marist | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Sims was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I was very interested in seeing how he was going to produce during his first year on varsity and he didn’t disappoint. I didn’t get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to catch the end of one of his games online as well as analyze his full season highlights. He’s projected as a prototypical X reciever at the next level that has a good frame to him as well as a good foundational skill set to win one on one. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage where he can gain the step advantage and uses this to stack the defender before breaking him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. He runs a nasty double move on deep shots downfield where he then attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch. What’s most impressive, is his ability to track the ball on those deep shots downfield where he looks the ball in fully before making a move. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical and breaks weak arm tackles by keeping his feet driving as he fights for extra yards. This young man is a deep threat that will flourish playing above the rim and is a big redzone target. Recently, he picked up an FBS Offer from Western Michigan University. I believe he’s going to make a bigger name for himself during his senior season campaign while he’s in the position to become the main target in the air attack and could potentially get utilized in the run game. Highlights
Frank Covey Frank Covey 6'2" | 185 lbs | WR Prospect | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Covey was a name that I had on my radar heading into the fall season and one that I was watching closely. I didn’t get the chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to see one of his games online as well as analyze his full season highlights. He’s projected as an X receiver at the next level that has a good foundational skill set to win one on one. This last season he ended up primarily playing quarterback while still mixing in lining up as a receiver. This young man is quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to stack the defender and break him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. What’s most impressive is his ability to go up for 50/50 balls by attacking the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch as the defender is all over him. When playing quarterback, we gain insight into his skill set that’s going to transition into the receiver position. Specifically, in terms of running after the catch. This young man showcases his ability to change gears quickly as he weaves in and out of defenders in open space where he can make the first defender miss showcasing his elusiveness. He also keeps his feet driving breaking weak arm tackles in the process of fighting for extra yards where he also possesses the vision to switch the field. His sophomore year he played receiver full time on varsity where he first came onto my radar, heading into his senior season campaign he’s going to be a prospect to keep an eye on. Currently has interest across FBS and FCS schools but no offers are on the table. Highlights
Allen Middleton Allen Middleton 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR Mascoutah | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Middleton was a name on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I was closely watching as he’s apart of the one-two punch in the receiving core with Quincy Hall Jr Quincy Hall Jr 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Mascoutah | 2023 State IL . I didn’t get a chance to scout this young man in person but I was able to analyze his full season highlights and compare them to where he was at last season to see his growth. He’s projected as an X receiver at the next level that can be utilized as a Z or work out of the slot depending on the situational package. I personally like him as an X receiver as he has the good foundational skill set to work one on one. When he’s working out of the slot he runs jet sweeps where he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. When he’s lined up as an X/Z receiver, he can take the receiver screen the distance where he showcases his next level gear by outrunning pursuit angles as well as blowing by 2nd level defenders as he gets into the endzone. This young man is quick off the line of scrimmage where he can stack the defender before breaking him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. Upon doing so, he attacks the ball at the highest point coming away with the contested catch as well as making the catch in traffic. Both of which, he gets vertical quickly upon securing the catch where he weaves in and out of defenders as well as showcases his elusiveness by making defenders miss in open space. This young man also has the ability to use his toe tap to secure sideline grabs, tracks the ball well on deep shots downfield, and if you give him a free release he’s going to win over the top with his speed more times than not. Currently has FBS interest but no offers are on the table yet, I expect that to change in the coming months. Highlights
Joshua Franklin Joshua Franklin 6'0" | 165 lbs | WR Crete Monee | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Franklin was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I was keeping an eye on. I got the chance to scout this young man in person during the regular season as well as watch part of a game online and analyze his full season highlights. He’s projected as an X receiver at the next level that could potentially provide just as much value out of the slot with the mismatch he creates against the linebacker. This past fall season he primarily played quarterback for his team, the season before he was at wideout where he was electric. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage where he uses his step advantage to stack the defender before breaking the defender off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. Upon doing so, he attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch as well as makes the catch in traffic. Both of which he can get vertical quickly showcasing his next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders while he weaves in and out of defenders. This is also showcased when he would pull the ball down to scramble this season, when he would do so we got an insight into his elusiveness as he can make defenders miss in open space. What’s impressive is his ability to take a receiver screen the distance as he changes his gears quickly upon securing the catch and getting vertical quickly. Currently picked up a recent FBS Offer from Western Michigan University. Highlights
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