 | Miami-bound Marcus Forston is one of the most well-rounded defensive line recruits in years. John Albright/Icon SMI |
Special to SI.com, Rivals.com
The Rivals.com recruiting experts have broken down countless hours of film and racked up plenty of frequent flyer miles to see the top prospects compete in games and at events across the country to come up with the most extensive and accurate prospect rankings and evaluations you will find. In the process of evaluating overall talent, several prospects gained notice for their mastery of specific skills.
Here are our postseason rankings for defensive players in a number of different categories.
For the offensive rankings, click here.
Defensive tackles
QUICKEST
1. Marcus Forston, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern
Signed with Miami
Was in the opposing backfield all week at U.S. Army All-American Bowl practices.
2. DeAngelo Tyson, Statesboro, Ga.
Signed with Georgia
Showed off his speed all week in practice at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
3. Corey Liuget, Hialeah, Fla.
Signed with Illinois
Was the most athletic defensive lineman at Offense-Defense All-American Bowl practices.
4. Stacey McGee, Muskogee, Okla.
Signed with Oklahoma
Gets off the ball fast and doesn't slow down when making moves.
5. Chancey Aghayere, Garland, Texas
Signed with LSU
Plays defensive end but his body structure will allow him to excel as a pass rusher on the inside.
STRONGEST
1. Marcus Forston, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern
Signed with Miami
Had no problem moving offensive lineman out of his way all season.
2. Mike Martin, Novi (Mich.) Detroit Catholic Central
Signed with Michigan
Martin boasts a 420-pound bench press max.
3. Brandon Thompson, Thomasville, Ga.
Signed with Clemson
He had a tremendous bull rush at the Under Armour practices.
4. Omar Hunter, Buford, Ga.
Signed with Florida
When technique didn't work, he flat out ran over offensive lineman all season.
5. Jarvis Humphrey, Cedar Hill, Texas
Signed with Texas
Humphrey is another bull-rush expert who excelled at the Under Armour practices.
BEST ATHLETE
1. Marcus Forston, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern
Signed with Miami
He excelled as a pass rusher and a run stopper at U.S. Army All-American practices.
2. Corey Liuget, Hialeah, Fla.
Signed with Illinois
He actually returned kicks for his high school team.
3. Chancey Aghayere, Garland, Texas
Signed with LSU
He displayed a quick first step and was great in pursuit at the U.S. Army All-American practices.
4. Garrett Goebel, Lombard (Ill.) Montini
Signed with Ohio State
Accomplished wrestler who uses agility well.
5. Lawrence Guy, Las Vegas (Nev.) Western
Signed with Arizona State
Has very light feet and showed them off at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
BEST RUN STUFFER
1. Stacey McGee, Muskogee, Okla.
Signed with Oklahoma
He is very strong at the point of attack despite raw technique.
2. Omar Hunter, Buford, Ga.
Signed with Florida
At 6-feet, 320 pounds, he is impossible to move.
3. Jarvis Humphrey, Cedar Hill, Texas
Signed with Texas
It is almost impossible for offensive lineman to get under his pads.
4. Marcus Forston, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern
Signed with Miami
He is very powerful and manhandles most offensive lineman.
5. Jurrell Casey, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly
Signed with USC
He helped Long Beach Poly only give up one rushing touchdown all season.
BEST PASS RUSHER
1. Marcus Forston, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern
Signed with Miami
Recorded 21 sacks in the highest classification in Florida.
2. Corey Liuget, Hialeah, Fla.
Signed with Illinois
Has speed to burn as a defensive lineman.
3. Stacey McGee, Muskogee, Okla.
Signed with Oklahoma
His highlights show off one of the best swim moves in the country.
4. Omar Hunter, Buford, Ga.
Signed with Florida
Has great technique and can be overpowering.
5. Lawrence Guy, Las Vegas (Nev.) Western
Signed with Arizona State
Has tremendous pursuit speed for a big man.
Defensive ends
STRONGEST
1. DaQuan Bowers, Bamberg (S.C.) Bamberg-Ehrhardt
Signed with Clemson
He was pushing around offensive tackles like paper dolls at Under Armour practice.
2. Ethan Johnson, Portland (Ore.) Lincoln
Signed with Notre Dame
He was injured his senior year but showed great strength as a junior.
3. Nick Perry, Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King
Signed with USC
Perry flashed power despite playing out of position at U.S. Army All American Bowl.
4. Chase Clement, Thibodaux (La.) E.D. White
Signed with LSU
He is very strong when he engages linemen.
5. Kavario Middleton, Lakewood (Wash.) Lakes
Signed with Washington
He uses his massive size to have his way with offensive lineman.
BEST AGAINST THE RUN
1. Tony Jerod, DeSoto, Texas
Signed with Texas A&M
Very active with excellent instincts against the run.
2. DaQuan Bowers, Bamberg (S.C.) Bamberg-Ehrhardt
Signed with Clemson
He is nearly impossible to move and has excellent pursuit speed.
3. Nathan Williams, Washington Court House (Ohio) Miami Trace
Signed with Ohio State
His linebacker skills coupled with his athleticism make him ideal for playing the run.
4. Michael Williams, Reform (Ala.) Pickens County
Signed with Alabama
Sheds blocks well and keeps his feet.
5. Chase Clement, Thibodaux (La.) E. D. White
Signed with LSU
Keeps blockers off by using his hands well and gets good push upfield.
BEST PASS RUSHER
1. R.J. Washington, Keller (Texas) Fossil Ridge
Signed with Oklahoma
He was the quickest off the edge at the U.S. Army All-American practices.
2. DaQuan Bowers, Bamberg (S.C.) Bamberg-Ehrhardt
Signed with Clemson
He can either run around the offensive lineman or push them out of his way.
3. Nick Perry, Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King
Signed with USC
He uses his strength to get offensive linemen off balance.
4. Tyler Westphal, Menasha (Wisc.)
Signed with Wisconsin
At Under Armour practices he used his long arms to get around the offensive lineman.
5. Toby Jackson, Griffin, Ga.
Signed with Georgia
Many in Georgia thought he was the most dominant player in the state.
QUICKEST FIRST STEP
1. R.J. Washington, Keller (Texas) Fossil Ridge
Signed with Oklahoma
He comes off the edge like a track star.
2. Cornelius Washington, Waynesboro (Ga.) Burke County
Signed with Georgia
This regional 100-meter champ can fly coming from his defensive end position.
3. Chaz Sutton, Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins
Signed with South Carolina
Not only did this speed rusher have three sacks in the GACA North South All-Star Game, he was also a running back in high school.
4. Datone Jones, Compton, Calif.
Signed with UCLA
He had 43 tackles for a loss as a senior because he gets into backfield so fast.
5. Quinton Coples, Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy
Signed with North Carolina
Long and rangy, he gets off the ball with a long first stride.
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