Stock Watch: DB’s Trending Upwards

While there are plenty of players who could make this list, we certainly feel that there have been a few standout prospects who have made their case to be on this list. The DB’s we believe are trending upwards embody plenty of developmental, and current characteristics that cause them to be successful, and could make them great at the next level if given the opportunity. Below, take a look at a few of the players we had in mind, as we doubt that you will be disappointed. Kevin Thomas- <em>Lowndes</em> Even though Lowndes is a powerhouse program, there are plenty of players each year on their roster that we feel are a tad underrated. This upcoming season, not only do we feel Thomas is one of their top returning players, but we also feel that he is trending upwards at the DB position. To start, he not only moves very well, as a fluid athlete, but he proves to have solid footwork as well. Thomas plays with good bend as well, and we are also very impressed with the way he gets in and out of his breaks, flips his hips, and is able to adjust with crossover runs. With this being said, he has plenty of tools as a DB that are hard to come across, but the fact that he can be a bit raw with his overall speed, and the way he plays in space, and reacts to the ball in the air, we feel he has plenty of growth ahead of him. Regardless, his potential, especially with his ball skills, proves that he has a great upside to him, which will likely help his stock rise next season. Tymere Burton- <em>South Gwinnett</em> Plenty of readers may not understand why Burton is on this list, especially due to his raw ability at the Safety position, but it is his growth potential, and physicality that he plays with that makes us believe that he has plenty of potential in the future. College coaches, even if they are at lower level programs, are bound to stumble upon this, especially with the way he is unafraid to come down hill, make contact, and deliver a pop. Burton also makes great plays, and tackles in the backfield, and in pursuit, which makes him very attractive to coaches as a project kind of prospect. One of the things we would like to see him make improvements with before next season include his bend, and the way he gets out of his breaks, and plays in coverage. If Burton sees a jump in production, and an improvement in these areas, we have no doubt he will see his stock trend upwards. Tywon Wray- <em>Campbell</em> One of the best traits that Wray has is his physical tools, which includes his frame, and length. This alone has proven to be an asset for him, and will likely stand out to college coaches as well. In previous seasons, this has helped him to position himself well when the ball is in the air, allowing him to deflect passes, and cause pass break ups, and turnovers. His length also comes in handy when playing in space, or when attempting to make a tackle in which he may not have great angles on. As a whole, we feel that possesses a lot of qualities that coaches look for in a DB, but we certainly believe that any improvement in his physicality, and the way he comes up to make tackles will make a huge difference for him as he sees his stock start to rise. [player_tooltip player_id="34050" first="Jace" last="Arnold"]- <em>Marietta</em> Even though Arnold may be a bit more well known than the players above him on this list, we can’t help but think that his stock is continuing to rise even more as the years go by. Not only is he one of the most instrumental parts of his team’s defense, but we feel that he has the ability to shut down plenty of the top WR’s in the state due to his footwork, ability to shadow movement, as well as the way he reacts to various kinds of routes from receivers. Perhaps, the reasons in which he is able to do so is due to his fluidity and bend when moving, as well as the way he is able to transition in and out of breaks, and play with explosion, and burst. Arnold also plays very physically at times, and is very unafraid to get in someone’s face, or make tackles. This natural, physical mindset will likely help him to succeed at the next level, and will be one of the reasons why he is able to grow his stock next season.