National Preps Showcase Receiver Standouts

This past weekend marked the unofficial end to outside camps, combines and showcases, as the dead period finally ends on Tuesday. Prep Redzone was able to take in Saturday’s National Preps Showcase, so we’re here to provide some thoughts after the camp. My colleague Ed Brooks took in the early part of the camp and had a great recap of the guys that stood out on the defensive side of the ball. I was on hand for the afternoon session and while I’ll have some recruiting insights about a few standout defensive players, I focused my scouting on the guys on the offensive side of the ball, specifically at the skill positions. One of the many things that impressed me about the National Preps camp itself was that the focus was on technique and skill, rather than just showing a bunch of 1-on-1s that devolve into athleticism contests. That means I got to really analyze the route running and catching abilities of many of the top receivers. This allowed a few guys to really stand out, as expected in that type of exhibition. That being said, there were also a few guys that surprised me, in a good way. <strong>The Top Route Runners</strong> In a camp so efficiently run, it’s nearly impossible to see every drill, rep or route, but I was able to see the receivers run post-curls, comeback and skinny post drills. In other words, three different, but difficult routes, one that shows footwork, one that shows the ability to react and catch the ball and one that shows speed and ball skills. All of these routes (most specifically the post-curl) provided a great opportunity to the best route runners to stand out. Let’s just say for the most part, I was not surprised by the majority of the standouts in this category. One of the guys that looked completely comfortable with every drill was Weddington receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="45000" first="Zymill" last="Patterson"]</strong>. Patterson has good size and speed, but he really stands out on film as a guy with crisp routes who can beat man coverage and get open. He showed that on Saturday as well, looking smooth at every drill. he looked comfortable doing difficult drills. Though his body type, role and skill set is a bit different,, Providence 2023 receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50901" first="Luke" last="Bailey"] </strong>was impressive during the drill portion of camp as well. Bailey looks more like a safety than a typical slot receiver, Bailey is an exceptional route runner. Because there aren’t a lot of guys out there like that, he reminds me of a young version of Deebo Samuel, a guy that has good enough speed to play receiver, but lives in the slot, knows how to get open and is like a running back with the ball in his hands. He has great hands as well and is a natural catcher of the football. Both of those guys were impressive in other ways (Ball skills, size, speed) but deserved special recognition for their route running abilities. <strong>Top Overall Receivers</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="44984" first="Chris" last="Culliver"] </strong>of Maiden came in as one of our highest-ranked athletes and showed why his future is likely at receiver. He’s not quite as polished in terms of route running ability as a couple of the other top receivers, but he’s as athletic as the come and has natural hands. The next-level technique will come with time, but it’s hard not to be excited about his upside. Laney’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141272" first="Connor" last="Powe"] </strong>really impressed me in a way I’m not sure I expected before the camp. A lot of times prospects don’t quite measure up to the size in their Twitter bio or Hudl, but Powe was a legit 6-3 and ran well. He had some of the best hands I saw and held his own as a route runner -- something more difficult for taller receivers. Parkwood’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="44994" first="Isaiah" last="Mobley"]</strong> is a guy we’ve been high on in the past and I thought he’d hold his own in a group filled with elite receivers. Still, I was a bit surprised with just how well he performed, ending up as one of the top guys I saw all day. He’s a guy I’ve had in my "just wait a year or two" group but he’s showing that he’s one of the best receivers in the state right now. Keep in mind that with drills occurring on multiple fields, I didn’t get to see every player, but here are some other receivers that impressed me: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109146" first="Wesley" last="Grimes"], Millbrook (2022)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="143456" first="Jahreece" last="Lynch"], North Surry (2023)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141271" first="Layton" last="Allen"], East Surry (2022)</strong> <strong>Makai Bleu Coleman, Providence Day (2022)</strong> <strong>Zion Booker, Mallard Creek (2023)</strong> <strong>Chris Lawson Jr., Ridge View, SC (2022)</strong>