re: Class of 2017 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Say Your Goodbyes Edition

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Alpha Dog

With the race for the No. 1 player in the country still very much up for grabs, Stanford offensive tackle commit Walker Little made a monstrous statement on Monday that he should be that guy. He didn't lose a rep in one-on-ones. In fact, he was dominant. Little trusts his size and trusts his technique without fail. His day one effort was the best single day offensive line showing I've seen in an all-star game setting.

The next 10

1. Deommodore Lenoir, CB – He was that guy that made this a business trip. He was out for blood on Monday showing outstanding makeup speed in coverage, great ball skills, closing speed to break up plays. He was just everywhere as a defensive back. The one-time Oregon commit is considering the Ducks along with North Carolina, Nebraska, UCLA and USC.

2. Jay Tufele, DT – Even though this is a loaded offensive line group, Tufele made sure he made a statement. He shows great quickness in interior one-on-ones and he shows big-time power in defeating run blocks. Tufele has official visits set up in January for Utah and USC. He's already visited Michigan and Ohio State.

3. Jaelan Phillips, DE/OLB – Phillips had an outstanding morning. He came up against the great wall of Walker Little some in the afternoon but he still looked like a rare specimen because of his length, his quick and active hands and his versatility. He's a UCLA commit.

4. Ty Jones, WR – The toughest matchup among all the receivers, Jones has so much size and length, shows off a great catch radius and if the quarterback makes a great throw, he's never covered because of his ability to make acrobatic catches. He's a Washington commit.

5. Tate Martell, QB – It's hard to gel with your receivers on the first day of practice in an all-star setting but Martell looked like he'd been playing with these guys all year. He was crisp as a thrower, he was organized with his feet and mechanics and he spun the ball consistently all day. The Ohio State looks very comfortable operating Todd Dodge's offense.

6. Stephen Carr, RB – If you didn't know any better, you'd swear Carr is a wide receiver. He's that natural out of the slot and that's something that the West team has got a great chance to utilize. In a setting that isn’t built for running backs to flash, Carr found a way to do just that in the pass game. He's a USC pledge.

7. Brett Neilon, C – The biggest stain on most all-star games is consistent center play. I don't expect that to be an issue this week. Neilon snapped the ball consistently, he showed good feet and toughness in the middle and when he lost a rep he bounced right back with a good one. USC has Neilon's pledge.

8. Marlon Tuipulotu, DT – A heavy-handed, physical interior defender that can operate effectively on the edge as well. You know you're getting a solid rep and a high motor on every play out of the Washington commit.

9. Oliver Martin, WR – Don't sleep on Martin because the second he catches you snoozing he's past you for a deep touchdown. That's because Martin runs great routes, he's has outstanding athleticism and he catches everything. Michigan State, Iowa and Notre Dame are among the favorites.

10. Jeffrey Okudah, CB – Okudah is considered an Ohio State lean by many in the industry and if he lands in Columbus they'll be getting one of the most unique specimens at the corner position in this class. He showed physicality to win at the line of scrimmage and the speed to get on top of vertical routes and win the fade line. He does all of this at almost 6-foot-2.

Five others of note

Salvon Ahmed, DB – One of the fastest guys in attendance, Ahmed is expecting to play an offensive role at Washington similar to Chico McClatcher but at this event he's playing cornerback and he looked outstanding on Monday. The only problem was that he was often matched up with fellow Washington commit Ty Jones who beat great coverage on a few different occasions with acrobatic catches.

Austin Jackson, OT – Jackson is raw and he gets beat badly from time to time because of technique but he flashed five-star plays pretty regularly on Monday too. He's got natural power in his hips and he's very much a twitched up athlete. USC, Washington and Arizona State are the leaders.

Baron Browning, LB – Some of the linebackers were edge guys trying to play in the middle some were inside backers trying to play in space. Browning was the guy that could do it all. Linebackers don't typically flash on day one but Browning, an Ohio State commit, still looked unique.

Najee Harris, RB – Harris is the No. 1 player in the country by some in the industry and he certainly looked rare. On one play in particular, he shook a middle linebacker in one-on-ones, darted over the middle and one-handed a ball thrown behind him. That pass-catch skillet on top of a 6-2, 225-pound frame is what makes the Alabama commit rare.

Jayden Peevy, DL – This is only Peevy's second year playing football. You can tell. He plays high and he doesn't yet know how to use his hands. I wouldn't count on him playing as a freshman at Texas A&M but I do think he has first round upside long term. His frame is unreal and he's extremely athletic.

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