Montgomery County’s top Defensive Backs to watch

Defensive back is one of the deepest positions in the county. There is a lot of talent that plays at this position. These are the top guys. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="184001" first="Dominic" last="Hess"] (2023) | 6’1 S | Damascus </strong> Hess is an aggressive safety. He likes to come downfield in run support. He is a great tackler that also has the ability to lay down some big hits. He is good in pursuit and takes great angles when attacking ball carriers. He is also aggressive in pass coverage. He likes to undercut routes and take chances in the passing game. He also shows an ability to recover and get back to cover deeper vertical routes. Hess is a good run-stopping safety, but he is also a good enough athlete to be just as good in coverage. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="363386" first="Daniel" last="Jones"] (2023) | 6’0 CB | Walter Johnson</strong> Jones is a very technical corner. He is a traditional outside cover corner. He does a great job with his hands and feet in coverage. He seems to enjoy being in press-man coverage. He does a great job of staying connected to receivers. He also does a good job of playing off coverage in zone. The ball always seems to find him, at times it feels like he is a ball magnet, which is a trait coaches love in a defensive back. Jones is a solid corner and will face off against some high-level receivers next year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="322026" first="Alhaji" last="Conde"] (2023) | 6’1 S | Springbrook</strong> Conde is a ball-hawking defensive safety. He has good size but plays much bigger than his size. He is really good in contested ball situations. He does a great job of fighting for position on jump balls. He also does a great job of reading quarterbacks and breaking on the ball. He is not only a cover guy but he also does a good job of coming downfield and making plays in the run game. Conde has great body control, when you match that with his athleticism he is a real playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="363390" first="Raheem" last="Mbaye"] (2023) | 5’11 S | Seneca Valley</strong> Mbaye is a very intelligent player. He is a star in his role. He does a great job of covering his zone when he is used as a deep safety. He also has shown the willingness and ability to man up certain guys. He has great ball skills and does a great job of playing the ball when it is in the air. He is also explosive, he shows this when he gets the ball in his hands he is a threat to flip field position or even take it back the other way. Mbaye is a very solid player on a very good Seneca Valley defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="359416" first="Samuel" last="John Jr"] (2023) | 5’8 CB | Springbrook</strong> John is a player with great potential. He is shorter for a corner but his ability will allow him to play in the slot at the next level. John has great speed, this allows him to keep up with any receiver. He also has a very good vertical jump which makes him surprisingly good in jump ball situations. When he does create a turnover he is tough to bring down in open space which makes him very dangerous. John is an explosive player and is very exciting to watch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="359417" first="Jalen" last="Scott"] (2023) | 5’10 CB | Walter Johnson</strong> Scott is a do-it-all type of corner. He is very good in coverage as he does a great job of fighting receivers for positioning during routes. He also does a great job of staying with receivers and fighting for the ball. He is also a very good tackler. He is very good in run support which is not common for outside corners in today’s game. Scott is another good player that will help lead Walter Johnson’s defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="249961" first="Elisha" last="West"] (2024) | 5’11 S | Quince Orchard</strong> West is a transfer from Good Counsel that is expected to bring instant production. He is a deep safety that shows tremendous speed. When he breaks on the ball he seems to get there in an instant. He also does a great job of high pointing the ball and making a play on it. He has good hands and comes down with some difficult grabs. He also plays violent especially when he comes downfield. He likes to come downfield hard and look to make a big hit. West is someone that will do very well for Quince Orchard. <strong>Knowel Smith (2024) | 6’2 S | Gaithersburg</strong> Smith is a safety that projects to be a very good box safety/linebacker hybrid. He is very comfortable in the run game. He is a really good tackler. He is not only a very sound tackler but he also likes to lay down some big hits. He does a great job in pursuit as he is able to chase down ball carriers from sideline to sideline. Smith is a good run stopper but needs to have more production in the passing game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="358656" first="Nick" last="Spikes"] (2024) | 5’11 S | Paint Branch</strong> Spikes is someone that is expected to take a big jump this season. Spikes is at his best when he is lined up deep as a deep cover safety. He does a great job of tracking the ball in the air and putting himself into position to make a play. He plays with great speed and his range is impressive. He creates a ton of turnovers. Spikes is an interception machine and will look to put together a more complete season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="279164" first="Anthony" last="Gengarella"] (2025) | 5’10 S | Northwest</strong> Genfarella is already seen as one of the top defensive backs in the state. He is a very instinctive player. He seems to make a ton of plays both in the passing game and in the run game. He does a great job of choosing when to play the ball and when to play the receiver. He makes plenty of plays whether it’s interceptions, pass breakups, or tackles. He is very good in coverage and his catch radius is huge as he has the ability to jump and dive for balls. He is also a very good tackler as he plays with great pad level in the run game. Gengarella plays the game the right way and college coaches will be all over him very soon.