FBS Projection: Five Michigan 8th Grade Prospects I See There

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is no shortage of football talent in the state of Michigan. Whether it be the bigs, the skill guys or anyone else--it's there in The Wolverine State. I'd place Michigan football in that second tier of football states alongside the Pennsylvania's, Ohio's and North Carolina's of the country. Here's a look at five current eighth-grade (Class of 2028) prospects that project to the FBS, in my opinion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["977483"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"- The first of three Southfield Falcons athletes on this list, I originally had Cross listed as a wide receiver but I changed him to an Athlete because the dude can ball on defense too. Plays both sides of the ball with great vision and almost sees plays happen before they actually dornrn- Offensively, the Falcons are star-studded at the skill positions and Cross is a prime example. While their quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='978798' first='Drake' last='Martin'] can shake and throw, he's only 5-foot-5. However, the lack of height doesn't matter much when he can throw it up to guys like Cross who stands 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds who can toe-tap with the best of themrnrn- Cross plays defense with the same mentality he plays offense: u0022the ball is mineu0022. He closes on passing lanes very quickly and can snatch 50/50 balls out of the air with ease. If he gets his paws on a ballu002du002dwatch out! He's a threat to take it to the house from anywhere on the field if he given space","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["528080"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"- Grown man. That's the only way to describe the way Hill plays on both sides of the ball. In a recent scrimmage Hill scored eight touchdowns as a running back and that's not even his main positionrnrn- At nearly 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, he's an explosive athlete that is on a seek-and-destroy mission with every snap.  Lines up primarily as a middle linebacker, but is athletic enough to play nearly anywhere on the field. It wouldn't surprise me to see him end up playing anywhere from defensive end to strong safetyrnrn- Hill is a very gifted prospect and the best two comparisons I can come up with is Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and NFL Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor. Parsons was a defensive end in high school and through the years has transitioned to a stand up outside linebacker. Hill, Parsons and Taylor are all 6-foot-3 and all play/played the game very physically","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["977460"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"- The second of three athletes in this write up from Michigan pre-high school powerhouse program, the Southfield Falconsrnrn- Stands 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds right now with very impressive speed, soft hands and body control. Really the complete package as a wide receiver at this levelrnrn- Out of all the weapons on the Southfield Falcons, Trusel is the kid I'd be most fearful if I were an opposing defense. He has the track speed to burn corners deep and the natural pass-catching ability to make it look smooth on camera","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["963830"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"- Up to a legitimate 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds, Henley has really started to stretch out and is starting to look like he'll be every bit of the 6-foot-5 his dad standsrnrn- At this point he's not the fastest or smoothest route runner, but the bottom line is that he produces. He's running track an his straight-line speed is certainly improving based off recent clips. Does a good job of getting open and fighting through arms to make catches in trafficrnrn- Right now the biggest threat Henley poses is in the redzone. He's not afraid to go over the middle, nor is he scared to box defenders out in the back corner. He's especially tough to defend in man coverage when he runs drags or in-routes close to the goal line because of his length","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["977789"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"- Rounding out the write up and trio of Southfield Falcons is the dangerous [player_tooltip player_id='977789' first='Jayden' last='Bell'], who is one of my favorite 2028 defensive players I've seen in Michigan thus farrnrn- He's listed at 6-foot-3 and 188 pounds right now and while that size isn't verified as of now, he doesn't look to be that far off. With his physical appearance and ability, he looks like a cross between Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer Al Harris and 2020 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Chase Youngu002du002dboth affectionally nicknamed u0022The Predatoru0022rnrn- In previous seasons and during 7-on-7 Bell has played as a wide receiver, tight end, defensive back and linebacker. However, from what I've seen early in this 2023 season, he's going to be a problem as a stand up edge rusher. Has the power to punch offensive tackle's in their chest and push them to the ground and the speed to chase down plays going away from him","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f0ee85461c7"} /-->