Top DBs: Class of 2021

Playing Defensive Back is one of the toughest positions in football.  In addition to possessing great speed, one must be able to possess the range to play all over the field, have great hands and have enough heart to be willing to tackle ball carriers who are usually much larger in order to be successful.  There are several great Defensive Backs in the state of Kansas who will be seniors during the 2020 season.  Here are the top 5.   [player_tooltip player_id="35342" first="Davonte" last="Pritchard"] 6’1 200 4.62 Gardner Edgerton   [player_tooltip player_id="35342" first="Davonte" last="Pritchard"] is a soon to be Kansas State Wildcat and is the #1 ranked DB and the #1 ranked player in the state for the class of 2021.  He plays as a SS where he lines up in the box.  He is a great run stopper as he uses his very good instincts to quickly key and diagnose the run vs pass, uses his good quickness and agility to shed blocks, plays at a good pad level and keeps his feet moving as he drives through the RB preventing him from a big gain.  An effective pass rusher as he quickly shoots the gap while blitzing and uses his good play speed to catch the QB and uses his good play strength to bring him down for a sack.  While in coverage, he reads the QB, tracks the ball in the air, uses his closing speed to put himself in good position and effectively uses his hands to make the interception.   [player_tooltip player_id="35353" first="Wetu" last="Kalomo"] 6’1 165 4.46 Wichita Northwest   [player_tooltip player_id="35353" first="Wetu" last="Kalomo"] is the #2 ranked DB and the #13 ranked player overall in the state for the class of 2021.  He plays as a CB usually at RCB or the field CB when the offense is on the hash.  He displays very good man coverage ability.  In man-press, he is patient at the line of scrimmage, matches the feet of the WR and uses his very good play speed and quickness to stay in phase or in front of the WR.  In man-off, he backpedals when the WR gets close and keeps enough cushion to where the WR is not in position to make a catch.  Shows very good zone coverage ability as he possesses fluid hips as he turns his hips and bails while reading the QB and uses his very good athletic ability to patrol his zone preventing big plays.  He displays good ball skills as he tracks the ball while in coverage and displays good hands as he can come down with the interception when the ball is thrown in his strike zone.  He assists well in run support as his uses his great closing speed and instincts to take the correct angles to the ball carriers and uses his play strength to make the tackle.   [player_tooltip player_id="35367" first="Trey" last="Krause"] 6’1 185 4.65 Olathe West   [player_tooltip player_id="35367" first="Trey" last="Krause"] is the #3 ranked DB and the 26^th ranked player overall in the state for the class of 2021.  He plays as a FS.  Very good against the run as he quickly keys and diagnoses the play, uses his very good play speed and good play strength in his upper and lower body to bring down the RB with force.  Good coverage ability as he provides help over the top in zone coverage preventing long gains by the WR.  In addition, while in man coverage where he is responsible for covering the #2 receiver, he uses his play speed to stay in phase with his man and prevents the receiver from getting open.  He shows elite ball skills as he tracks the ball and possesses the manual dexterity to intercept the pass when the ball is thrown outside his strike zone.   [player_tooltip player_id="35382" first="Tanner" last="Knox"] 5’11 175 Derby   [player_tooltip player_id="35382" first="Tanner" last="Knox"] is the 4^th ranked DB and the 41^st ranked player overall in the state for the class of 2021.  He plays as a SS.  He shows excellent ability against the run showing great instincts and football intelligencewhile key and diagnosing the play, uses his great closing speed and tackles the RB with extreme force playing much bigger than his listed size.  In coverage, he is responsible for covering the slot WR or TE and he uses his play speed to stay in front of his man preventing him from breaking open.  Demonstrates very good ball skills as he reads the QB, uses his range to play sideline to sideline and uses his hands to come down with an interception and can also time his hands to get in the way of the ball creating a PBU.  Shows good competitiveness and mental toughness as he can consistently make plays in the redzone.   [player_tooltip player_id="35396" first="AJ" last="Johnson"] 6’3 182 Salina South   [player_tooltip player_id="35396" first="AJ" last="Johnson"] is the 5^th ranked DB and the 55^th ranked player in the state for the class of 2021.  He plays as a CB as a RCB and LCB where he is responsible for covering the #1 receiver.  He uses long arms to win battles in press coverage and effectively uses his good athletic ability to stay in phase with the WR.  Shows good ball skills as he consistently makes the interception while reading the QB, tracks the ball in the air and uses his height and leaping ability to catch the ball at it’s highest point to win 50/50 balls from the receiver.  He assists well in run support as he reads the play, gets off the block and uses his good play speed in pursuit and solid play strength in his upper body to slow down the ball carrier.