NFTC Columbus
http://www.yappi.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5047638COLUMBUS, Ohio - Rivals.com's Josh Helmholdt breaks down the top performing skill position players from Saturday's Columbus NIKE Football Training Camp.
The quarterbacks are not included on this list of top performers since they were scouted at the Elite 11 workout on Friday.
Columbus NIKE Camp: Skill position top performers
1. CB Cameron Burrows, Trotwood-Madison, Ohio
This was more of what we have come to expect from Burrows. The five-star prospect had a less than spectacular outing at the Rivals.com/VTO Elite 100 Showcase in Cincinnati last month, but was back in form at Saturday's NIKE Camp. Starting with the drills, Burrows was extremely fluid and showed off his outstanding footwork. He then went out and proved nearly unbeatable in one-one-ones against top receivers. We did not see him reel in an interception, and that was the only thing standing in the way of a perfect day.
2. RB Mikel Horton, Cincinnati (Ohio) Lakota East (2014)
It was not an overly strong group of running backs in Columbus on Saturday, and Horton was clearly the top performer out of the group, which is impressive because camp settings are not supposed to be great showcases for big backs. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Horton, though, is quickly establishing himself as one of the top prospects in Ohio in the class of 2014. He was outstanding in blocking drills against linebackers, then was picked to run the final rep for his position group in one-on-ones and came down with a spectacular catch along the sidelines.
3. ATH Jalin Marshall, Middletown, Ohio
After warming up with the quarterbacks, the 6-foot, 190-pound Marshall moved over to the receiver group. Marshall has played quarterback all through high school, but is likely projected to receiver in college. Rarely do we get a chance to see him in that role, so Saturday was a great opportunity to scout the Rivals100 prospect. It took him a little while to get warm, but once Marshall was able to get comfortable in his routes, he put on a show. Speed and quickness have always been among Marshall's strong points, and he also showed a soft pair of hands on Saturday.
4. WR Csont'e York, Harper Woods (Mich.) Chandler Park Academy
This is the third time we have seen the 6-foot-3 and 185-pound York in the last month, and it is becoming apparent he is one of the most underrecruited prospects in the Midwest. Besides having great size, York is a very technical receiver. He runs clean routes and makes sharp cuts, creating space for his quarterback to find him down the field. York was open all day in 7-on-7 and one-on-one play, and caught everything thrown his way. Those times when a defensive back does close on him, York shows great ability to track the football and come down with the catch.
5. LB Jon Reschke, Birmingham (Mich.) Brother Rice
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Reschke is one of the better athletes at the linebacker position in the Midwest, and that athleticism was on display Saturday. He started off by showing off his speed and explosiveness in the pass-rushing drills, winning every rep we saw him in. Where Reschke really was strong, though, was in pass coverage. He plays extremely well in space and has the speed to close passing lanes. His ability to diagnose plays and passing routes looks to be improving and physically he continues to be an impressive looking athlete.
6. LB Mike McCray, Trotwood-Madison, Ohio
After seeing McCray twice last fall we felt coming in that a camp setting would not showcase the best aspects of his game, but the Rivals100 prospect exceeded those expectations and took home MVP honors at the linebacker group. McCray does a lot of things that transfer well to the football field. The 7-on-7 aspects of the camp showed off his play recognition and ability to cover in space. At 6-4 and 230 pounds he plays with a lot of length and range. In pass-rush drills he was physical and strong at the point of attack.
7. DB Delano Hill, Detroit Cass Tech
The defensive back MVP, Hill made a lot of plays in one-on-one and 7-on-7 play. He sees the field extremely well from his safety position, and closes passing lanes quickly. In each of the events we have covered Hill at in recent months he has come down with a number of interceptions, and that was the case again on Saturday. Usually cornerbacks take home MVP awards from the defensive back group because a lot of the work is in man coverage. Hill's win as a safety attests to his abilities in pass coverage.
8. CB Ross Douglas, Avon, Ohio
Douglas is so consistently clean in coverage that you almost forget he is out there. Not hearing your name called is a good thing at the cornerback position, and the public address announcer is not saying "Douglas" very often. The 5-10, 175-pound prospect is not a flashy player. He stays in great position in relation to the wide receiver throughout routes and makes throwing the ball in his direction very unappealing. Douglas has all the speed he needs to stay with receivers and his technique is near flawless.
9. LB Darrien Howard, Dayton (Ohio) Chaminade-Julienne
Howard surprised a lot of people with his performance on Saturday. At 6-1 and at least 255 pounds, he looks like he should be playing along the defensive line. Yet, Howard plays exceptionally light on his feet and was more than capable in the pass-rushing and pass-coverage drills. At times he plays a little top-heavy, but on Saturday he looked a lot more connected with the turf and moved around the field well. Howard will benefit even more from cutting some of the excess weight, but he will always be a big body at the linebacker position.
10. WR Desmond King, Detroit Crockett
While he is chasing the state of Michigan career record for interceptions, King has also been trying to chase down scholarship offers. He has a handful from MAC programs already, but with more performances like the one on Saturday that list will grow. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound King stepped in front of several passes in 7-on-7 and one-one-one play at the NIKE Camp. He does a good job using his hands and his body to rub receivers off their routes without drawing a flag, and breaks on the football very well to knock down or intercept passes.
