ATLANTA - Oklahoma's focus on the Southeast has been much discussed and as such SoonerScoop.com made the trek to the heart of SEC country to check in at the Atlanta Rivals camp. The camp was full of Oklahoma offers as well as prospects who could be among the list in months and years to come. We take a look at some of the standouts that caught our eye at Lakewood stadium on Sunday.
Breakdown: The young corner was very smooth and easy throughout the day and really shined during drills early on. As he gets bigger and stronger through the next few years he's got a chance to emerge as a high quality cover corner.
Breakdown: A mountain of a young man Brooks plays with passion and wasn't afraid to mix it up in one of the best line battles we've seen at any camp this year. Brooks, of course, has a lot of time to go but is already a legitimately massive guy but moves well and figures to only grow in that part of his game.
Breakdown: Brown lined up at defensive back through the day and looked outstanding. When you throw in his impressive frame and the reality that he could probably grow into a linebacker if his frame keeps filling out he is a player that provides a lot of options to a future defensive coordinator.
Breakdown: Brown, as we always say with linebackers, had the great misfortune of his position in a camp setting. He routinely was left chasing receivers much farther downfield than he would in a normal camp scenario. But in more familiar passing situations he did well and did a nice job staying on a back's inside hip. In pass blocking he was an absolutely dominant force and gave one running back after another trouble - even earning some respect from running backs coach, and former New York Giant, Brandon Jacobs.
Breakdown: There wasn't a cornerback on hand who more consistently looked in control of his situation than Crawford. He seemed to always have a plan and knew how he wanted to attack each and every receiver he went up against. Crawford has nice size and length with a chance to be make a considerable move up in the Rivals rankings to come.
Breakdown: There was no defender who was more impressive than Faulk on the hoof. But the big defensive end didn't just look good in a picture, he was dominant on video. He mixed a budding list of moves with surprising explosion on the edge to make him a player that is a capable pass rusher on the edge but could turn into a dominant guy with his length and quickness moving a couple spots inside.
Breakdown: If there was one match for Faulk as a multi-position defensive lineman, it was Greene. He worked at defensive end as well as defensive tackle and was dominant in both roles. He uses his hands well and did a good job wasting no time getting upfield as soon as he saw the slightest crack.
Breakdown: Henderson was, perhaps, a touch shorter than listed and in drills was good but showed some signs of being a little late to arrive and looking maybe a bit off. But once he got going in one-on-ones the light switched on and he was nearly unblockable. He uses impressive speed and as much tenacity as you'll see in a camp setting to make himself a terror.
Breakdown: Another mountain of an offensive tackle - he actually measured in at 6-foot-6, and north of 300-pounds - at St. Francis School. Jacobs, the son of former Auburn star Brandon Jacobs, is a promising offensive tackle that is still a work in progress but as the light goes on there's a lot of physical tools to make use of.
Breakdown: A day that Kilgore will probably prefer to move on from but still the young safety was as physically impressive as anyone on hand and though he could have taken the challenge of covering tight ends, he focused on receivers. At times that left him in bad spots but when the ball is near he sells out for it and broke up several passes.
Breakdown: Matthews is a guy we love on tape and he did nothing to hurt his reputation during camp. Matthews catches anything that comes near him and has the speed to stretch the field. He didn't make the final 'best of' event to end the day but that had more to do with some errant passes that made it hard for him to make the plays to earn his way into the event. But make no mistake Matthews is immensely talented.
Breakdown: One of the few guys who put in work at both defensive back and receiver Mbakwe flashed the big-time speed he is known for especially at cornerback where he made up some ground on a few plays to attack balls in mid-air. He's got a chance to be the kind of cover corner who can fit into any scheme thanks to his instincts and natural physical gifts.
Breakdown: Moore is another guy who measured a bit shorter than some may have expected coming into the camp but what he lacks in height he makes up for in activity. He was one of the more rampant defensive lineman on the day and disrupted blockers from defensive end as well as defensive tackle.
Breakdown: O'Connell was a guy who caught our eye a bit as the camp went on. He's a little light right now but he plays with a great base, has a good first punch and does a great job moving his feet. If he can keep all these tools in play while developing his lower body, he could be a real riser in 2024.
Breakdown: Pulliam is a physical linebacker who liked to mix it up with the running backs in pass protection drills. It was hard to get a good look at him in pass defense but Pulliam has a nice frame and the physical style of play that will attract a number of schools who put so much focus in the Georgia area.
Breakdown: One of the names coming in that Scoop's staff wasn't that familiar with but one that we left thinking is a guy that could become one of the nation's elite receivers. Simmons has easy speed to get upfield along with incredible hands and body control when the ball is up in the air. He was absolutely one of the real stars of the afternoon.
Breakdown: Walker is another in a line of young offensive tackles who flashed some tools but is, understandably still a work in progress. He does a pretty strong job with his hands, using his length to overwhelm defenders. He could be a guy that really takes off in the next few months.
Breakdown: Williams is another guy that is a little raw but his impressive frame is hard to ignore. He also does a great job fighting through blocks - there were a few times when an opening move might have caught him off guard but he fought back and regained the upper hand. Williams is a guy that could see a real boom in his recruitment this fall.
