Behind the Rankings: 2022 Rankings Part 1

I’m always looking for innovative ways to promote players, provide great content and -- yes -- increase readership. As a rankings-driven, player-focused site, our quarterly rankings updates are where we place a lot of our focus. Each update is followed closely by "Stock Risers" and breakdowns of the players that populate our lists. This time, so close to the season, I wanted to pull back the curtain on our rankings process to show you my thoughts and how we came to the conclusions (right or wrong) that we did. <strong>The Process</strong> Before I highlight some changes and movers, I want to briefly explain our process. We formally update our rankings 3-4 times a year, but we’re constantly moving things behind the scenes in between updates. When a player creates a profile or we’re given a name to watch, we put on the film and take notes. We also move players up and down on the back end when we see them play in person, get information from trusted sources or see them develop over time. When it comes time to update the rankings, <strong>Ed Brooks </strong>and I talk about who we think needs to move drastically. If he feels strongly that a certain player needs to move way up or down, we’ll move him. If I think another needs to do the same, we’ll move him. From there, we agree on our top 5-10 players at each position and talk about our reasoning for each before hitting send. <strong>Shuffling at the Top</strong> -- In general, the top 10-15 players usually stay close to their original rankings, but we do move guys around a bit in that area. This update, we moved Hough defensive tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28632" first="Curtis" last="Neal"] </strong>to the top spot and I think it’ll be hard to unseat the Wisconsin commit. We went back and reviewed the tape and talked to some coaches that played against him and came away even more impressed than we had been before. A lot has been said about his height (6’1/6’2) but it’s a silly hang up, considering the best player in the NFL at the position is around the same. He can get after the passer. There’s nothing against <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28630" first="Travis" last="Shaw"]</strong>, who is a future Power Five superstar, but we see All-American potential in Neal. -- There are a couple of other guys I’m higher on than other services, including Salisbury’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28634" first="Jalon" last="Walker"] </strong>and JH Rose’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28637" first="Michael" last="Allen"]</strong>. Simply put, a lot of this comes from what I personally value as a scout. I love positionless prospects with elite athleticism. Walker could probably start today at four or five different positions in college and Allen’s versatility as a runner, returner and receiver has me excited for his future. Both guys inched up our rankings. East Surry tight end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28636" first="Benji" last="Gosnell"]</strong>, who recently flipped from Ohio State to North Carolina, continues to climb. -- Elsewhere near the top, Millbrook’s [player_tooltip player_id="109146" first="Wesley" last="Grimes"] and Davie’s [player_tooltip player_id="107429" first="Tate" last="Carney"] could push for top spots at their respective positions with big senior seasons. Both had huge years as juniors and I personally am just looking for that last bit of consistent dominance that I expect from the guys I put at the very top of the list. <strong>Stock Up: Linebacker Class</strong> -- Each class becomes known for something over time and the 2022 class in North Carolina will be remembered for its depth at linebacker. We don’t share our grades on players publicly outside of the occasion blip in an article, but I have Power Five grades on eight 2022 linebackers and Group of Five grades on another five. -- Walker and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28639" first="Torren" last="Wright"] </strong>are two of the better linebackers we’ve seen come out of the Tar Heel state recently, but don’t sleep on West Brunswick’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28677" first="Carter" last="Wyatt"],</strong> who would be the top linebacker in a normal year. Northwest Guilford’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28642" first="Xavier" last="Simmons"]</strong> (Who just flipped to Missouri Saturday) and Whiteville’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="149126" first="Daejuan" last="Thompson"]</strong> should earn early playing time at Power Five schools. Uncommitted <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28678" first="Albert" last="Redd"]</strong> of Glenn is up there with those other players and though they don’t have the offer lists of some of the other guys, there are four guys just behind him that would be great FBS players. Maiden’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106722" first="Dru" last="McClough"] </strong>and Newton-Conover’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="107034" first="Xavion" last="Coulter"] </strong>fit that elusive bruising middle linebacker mold while Christ School’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="98108" first="Angeni" last="Jacobs"] </strong>and Forestview’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28663" first="Jaycob" last="Neely"] </strong>are critically underrecruited. -- Further down are rankings are some thumpers that could turn into great college players with a bit more refinement in their game. Specifically, I look at guys like Northeastern’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="149127" first="Rashawn" last="Lister"] </strong>and South Mecklenburg’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119502" first="Panos" last="Burlos"] </strong>as potential late bloomers that could make noise as seniors. Both are tweeners (Lister as a potential defensive end and Burlos as a potential safety) that could thrive in the right college defense.