Five Rising WR Prospects to Watch in Virginia

It is never too early to take a look ahead at the next high school football season. In particular, there are five wide receivers I am very excited to see take the field for the upcoming 2023 season.   [player_tooltip player_id='157081' first='Keylen' last='Adams'], WR, Virginia Beach, VA   We'll start with a standout receiver prospect coming from Green Run High School who pops instantly when you turn on the tape, [player_tooltip player_id='157081' first='Keylen' last='Adams']. He is a smooth operator with plenty of deception in his route running, high-level ball skills and explosiveness after the catch. During his junior season, Adams won on all three levels of the field. He proved to be a threat to score whether he was getting vertical on deep post routes or taking 5-yard hitches on long distance house calls. One area I came away even more impressed with was his ball-tracking skills. On numerous occasions, Adams would separate from his defender only to make an incredible adjustment look routine on an inaccurate deep ball. Another part of his game that I really enjoyed was his versatility being lined up all across the formations. He has some quality reps from the slot, outside and even in motion at the snap. Adams has the size (around 6'1 175 lbs) and speed to turn some heads this upcoming season.   [player_tooltip player_id='157084' first='Chanz' last='Wiggins'], WR, King George, VA   The next receiver to keep an eye out for this upcoming season is [player_tooltip player_id='157084' first='Chanz' last='Wiggins'] from King George High School. He profiles, and plays, as your prototypical receiver who sets up shop outside the numbers and tortures undersized corners with highlight reel, contested catches away from his frame. His tape is littered with fantastic spacial awareness near the sideline with balletic foot control to toe-tap the sideline. He is an exceptional hands catcher who consistently high points the football fluidly and effortlessly. Despite doing most of his damage from a split end or flanker alignment, he showcased capable chops when lined up in the slot, with a very natural feel settling down in open zones and setting up deeper routes to create space with vertical seam routes. He can be a problem for smaller defensive backs to bring down after the catch, constantly fighting for extra yards through contact. On tape, I haven't seen many teams brave enough to try to get physical with him on the line of scrimmage, but he did put together a couple together some nice reps with in-out-in releases to create separation off the line. He is an exciting prospect who should build on his impressive production from 2022.   [player_tooltip player_id='293570' first='Tasean' last='Young-Stieff'], WR, Virginia Beach, VA   The Green Run football program has an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position heading into the 2023 season, with [player_tooltip player_id='293570' first='Tasean' last='Young-Stieff'] playing a perfect compliment to [player_tooltip player_id='157081' first='Keylen' last='Adams'] in the passing game. When opposing defenses send extra resources in an attempt to slow down Adams, Young-Stieff's game-breaking speed punishes those who dare to forget about him in the screen game. He overcomes a slightly smaller frame (coming in around 5'11 155 lbs) with suddenness that jumps off the tape. He effortlessly cuts on a dime to burst up the field, leaving multiple defenders in his wake grasping at air. His change of direction and acceleration out of cuts help him separate consistently when running routes. That suddenness is best on display with his plethora of dynamic punt returns and long house calls in the screen game. In addition, he has showcased quality ball skills with multiple contested catches. That play strength shows up in his ability to break tackles and maintain his balance and push upfield after dismissing defenders. He also showcased a natural feel for gearing down against zone coverage to make himself available to his quarterback for longer periods of time rather than just sprinting through open zones.   Carson Crigger, WR, Narrows, VA   One prospect that really jumped off the screen for me was Carson Crigger from Narrows, VA. He has a great feel for making the first defender miss once the ball is in his hands. His junior season tape is filled with 5-to-10-yard receptions turning into 50+ yard house calls. He has really sneaky acceleration and knows how to change gears to destroy angles for would-be-tacklers or those trying to check him in man coverage. His body control to change gears as a runner is matched by his ability to adjust to poorly thrown balls by making multiple impressive catches away from his frame. He checks in around 6'2 and plays to his length very well. Not to mention, he has a nasty stiff arm. The tape has multiple examples of his left arm guiding defenders' facemasks to the ground when trying to tackle him. He's already a problem to tackle at 165 lbs, if he adds more size to that frame without compromising his speed or quick-twitch suddenness, he could really start turning a lot of heads this upcoming season.   [player_tooltip player_id='295786' first='Bryce' last='Yates'], WR, Chesterfield, VA   One of the most exciting and versatile prospects on this list comes from Matoaca High School, [player_tooltip player_id='295786' first='Bryce' last='Yates']. He did a little bit of everything his sophomore season by lining up at QB, RB and WR in 2022, but I believe he prospects out the best as a wide receiver. When you flip on the tape, you see very quickly why he was used in so many different ways, he is simply a playmaker with the ball in his hands. However, what makes him such an intriguing WR prospect is his silky-smooth fluidity when running routes. Yates has a natural sixth sense when to cut at the top of his route to breakoff defensive backs. In particular, his slant-and-go is already lethal against off-coverage corners who dare to jump a slant route. He also gears down incredibly well on hitch/comeback routes, effortlessly dropping his hips and bursting back toward the line of scrimmage to be the first to the ball. If DBs try to squat on underneath routes, Yates also has the top-end speed to blow by and stack smaller DBs in a hurry. He has legit playmaking ability after the catch with great contact balance and real wiggle at the point of attack. The hands are also very sticky and regularly high points the football with ease. It is a pretty short list of players I am more excited to watch this upcoming season than [player_tooltip player_id='295786' first='Bryce' last='Yates'].

It is never too early to take a look ahead at the next high school football season. In particular, there are five wide receivers I am very excited to see take the field for the upcoming 2023 season.