RB07OSU;897286; said:
Now that I have had time to sit down and read the whole list:
Good calls: Marcus Forston (up to 5 star, #15 player), Patrick Johnson (up to #3 player nationally), DeVier Posey (up to 5 star, #27 player nationally), Blaine Gabbert (up to 5 star and he truly does have an unreal arm), Garrett Goebel (up to the top 100 at #74), Dayne Crist (up from the mid-60's to #39...he is a stud), and Nigel Bradham (down from #5 overall to #12 overall but still overrated imo).
Bad calls: E.J. Manuel (Good player but not a 5 stars #10 player overall), Matt Patchan (up to #18 player overall and a 5 star when I thought it was rather generous that he was in the top 50), Deion Walker (didn't move much but I don't think he is 5 star material), Stephen Good (from a 5 star down to 4 when I think he is only behind Kalil and Brewster for top OL in the country), Boubacar Cissoko (down all the way to #54 when I think he is borderling 5 star material), Brandon Beachum (down 8 spots from #50 to #58 but that's way too high still), Brandon Moore (down from 50's to 61 but you can't have Brandon in front of Stoney), J.B. Shugarts (#82 is WAY too low...he is still a borderline 5 star imo), Vinston Painter (#86 is too low), Jake Stonerburner (#93 is a joke when you have offers from SoCal, OSU, and Florida), and Mike Adams (is a top 5 OL in the country and is just getting ripped off.
Overall: Not too bad but they still have some work to do.
My opinions on the guys you mentioned.
Marcus Forston: they finally paid him his dues and gave him a 5th star. Forston is probably the best defensive lineman in the nation.
Patrick Johnson: he's a 5*, but the #3 player in America and better than Darrel Scott? I don't think so personally. Scott is a sure thing and the #1 player in the nation in my opinion, Johnson just isn't better than him. Top 15 maybe, better than AJ Green and Darrell Scott? Heck no.
DeVier Posey: very good player, but I don't believe he's a 5*. Not trying to knock him or anything, think he's a Top 50 player, but just not quite a 5*.
Blaine Gabbert: definitely deserved that 5th star and is probably the best pro-style QB prospect in the nation.
Garrett Goebel: how he wasn't in the initial Top 100, I don't know. Finally gave him his due though.
Dayne Crist: think he's a Top 50 player, so his move upwards in the rankings was justified, and I agree with the move. Crist could potentially even move up to 5*'s if he has a dynamite senior season. The kid looks like a proto-typical NFL QB and he's got a great arm.
Nigel Bradham: I don't think he's overrated at #12 at all. I believe Bradham is the best outside linebacker prospect in the nation. Think the kid is just amazing.
E.J. Manuel: he's overrated as a 5* and the gap between he and Glennon, the other stud QB from Virginia, is not nearly as large as Rivals would have you believe. Manuel's completion percentage last year was terrible, he's got a great arm but is he accurate?
Matt Patchan: good player but he's not a 5*. Patchan is extremely raw but you've got to like his athleticism and versatility for his size. There are several offensive linemen better than him in this class. Mike Adams comes to mind immediately, and I'd switch their spots. Adams is ready to play now and is all but a sure thing. Patchan is a bundle of potential and is a lower end top 100 player, not a 5*.
Deion Walker: not a 5* and might be one of the most overrated players in the country. Walker has great size and good speed, but he doesn't have elite speed and he's not very polished.
Stephen Good: why they moved him down to 4 stars I'll never know. Good is a 5* offensive tackle through and through. He blows Patchan out of the water, and it's not even close if you try and compare the two.
Boubacar Cissoko: why they keep screwing him over, I don't know. Cissokos' hips, smooth backpedal, and foot-speed are unmatched by any corner that I've seen thus far. Yeah he's only 5'9" but he's very physical for his size and his technique is nearly flawless. He's only been playing football for 3 years or so and in this country for less than 10, the sky is the limit potential wise IMO and he's only going to get better with the more experience he gains. Cissoko is 5* material in my opinion.
Brandon Beachum: shouldn't even be on the Top 100 list period.
Brandon Moore: I'd swap his position with Stoneburner. Put Stoneburner in the 60's and Moore in the 90's. Moore is a bundle of potential with great skills, but Stoney is the better football player right now and his athletic tools are just as good.
J.B. Shugarts: I agree with the ranking of Shugarts. He's played TE in high school throughout his career, hasn't even really played tackle and he missed a good portion of his junior season last year with a staph infection. Shugarts has great size, a great frame, long arms, quick feet, and he's lean and athletic but he's all potential right now.
Vinston Painter: him being ranked so low is a joke. Painter might be the best player in Virginia and he was the most dominating lineman down at the Army All-American Junior combine in San Antonio this past January. Painter is better than most of the lineman that are in front of him.
Jake Stoneburner: see Brandon Moore comments.
Mike Adams: the biggest joke of all in their rankings. He's rated all the way down at #96 when in fact he's probably the #1 player in Ohio and a 5* for sure. Adams was recruited by everybody and the primary reason why he's rated so low is because he committed so early. Adams is a much better lineman than Shugarts is right now and on par with Brewster. Adams has great size and unlike most high school lineman he's an advanced pass blocker.