2027 Watch List: 13 Early WRs & TEs to Know
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The 2027 Watch List has made its debut and 100 of some of the top freshmen in the state have been added. While there will be many more added through the next three years, it’s important to recognize some of…
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Continue ReadingThe 2027 Watch List has made its debut and 100 of some of the top freshmen in the state have been added. While there will be many more added through the next three years, it’s important to recognize some of the 2027 prospects and start getting them on the radar. Here are some 2027 receivers and tight ends that have shown early signs of developing into future college prospects.
Receivers
I’m very confident in saying that University 2027 WR Kaleil Lewis Kaleil Lewis 6’4″ | 185 lbs | WR University | 2027 WV will be one of the top receivers in this class up until he graduates. The 6’4 185 freshman has freaky athletic traits for a young athlete and has a great athletic foundation to build on. He’s an effortless dunker on the basketball court where he’s also a great rebounder and that translates to the football field too. Lewis’ leaping ability allows him to go up and high point passes easily and he can extend over defenders with his combination of length and hops. He also showed signs of having good ball skills and can snag tough contested catches while absorbing contact. Lewis was a productive freshman for the Hawks this season snagging 15 passes for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns averaging over 22 yards per catch. Although he’s raw right now, I’m also confident that Lewis will be a D1 football prospect in the future.
Highlights
I’ll repeat what I said about Lewis, George Washington’s Kai Martin Kai Martin 6’3″ | 180 lbs | WR George Washington | 2027 WV will also be one of the top 2027 WRs in the class up until he graduates. Martin first caught my attention when I was watching highlights from fellow George Washington classmate and QB Mark Blankenship Mark Blankenship 5’10” | 155 lbs | QB George Washington | 2027 WV and the two were seemingly hooking up on every one of Blankenship’s highlights. I then immediately had to look up a GW roster and figure out who this long and athletic receiver was. Martin is a legit 6’3 180 as a freshman with apparent athletic traits that popped on the limited highlights I could find. He’s a very fluid athlete for his age and early length who will become a monster when he starts filling out and getting stronger. Martin flashed sure hands with the ability to snag contested catches through contact while also being able to go up over defenders to secure the catch. He also looks like he’ll be good after the catch and has playmaking ability in that area too. I’m excited to watch him grow and develop over the next three years and would also consider him a likely future D1 prospect.
Martinsburg freshman Boston Todd Boston Todd 5’10” | 165 lbs | RB Martinsburg | 2027 WV flashed for the Bulldogs’ freshmen team this season and is a name to know for the future. He’s the younger brother of former Martinsburg standout Braxton Todd who attended Bowling Green before transferring to D2 Gannon. The younger Todd could be considered a WR or RB and has played both in his young high school career. He’s a dynamic young athlete who’s a natural playmaker that can break a game open on any given touch. Todd is an explosive athlete with a quick burst and a burner when he’s in the open field. He’s twitchy and shifty and is very difficult to tackle especially for freshmen defenders. Todd will likely be moved to running back in our rankings in the future, but it’s important to note he does have receiver ability and will be a quality pass catcher out of the backfield in the future.
Highlights
The Tug Valley Panthers are going to be a problem in the new Class A with the young core of talent that they have coming up through the ranks. 2027 WR Cameron Slone Cameron Slone 6’0″ | 150 lbs | WR Tug Valley | 2027 WV is one of those young but talented athletes in their program and he led them in receiving this season as a freshman. He hauled in 35 passes for 475 yards and 10 touchdowns this season mostly from classmate QB Preston May Preston May 5’9″ | 155 lbs | QB Tug Valley | 2027 WV . Slone made his mark on defense as well from his DB spot totaling 35 tackles and 4 TFLs. He has quality length for his age at 6’0 150 and flashed playmaking ability as a young receiver. The biggest aspect of his game that jumped out to me is his ability after the catch. Tug Valley hit him on a lot of bubble screens this season and Slone was able to turn those short passes into big gains. He proved he has some quality speed but can also make a move on a defender to make him miss or break a tackle. Tug Valley has three 2027 athletes on our Watch List currently and should be a program to follow for the foreseeable future.
A late addition to the site who will officially be on the Watch List when the summer update comes around is Spring Mills receiver Zane Wipf Zane Wipf 5’9″ | 160 lbs | WR Spring Mills | 2027 WV . We missed Wipf when searching through HUDL but found his highlights on his Twitter account where he flashed some early signs of developing into a potential future top WR in the class. Wipf was named the Rookie of the Year by his high school coaches and saw varsity action on a very talented Cardinals team this season. He’s a 5’9 160 speedy slot receiver that has very good playmaking ability after the catch and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him starting on varsity as a sophomore. The other aspect of his game that stood out was his ability to adjust to the ball while it’s in the air which is something you don’t always see for a young receiver. Wipf also flashed good ball skills to pair with that ability and should develop into a complete receiver in time with the early skills that he’s shown as a freshman.
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- No film at this time
- Second-leading receiver for the Bobcats
- 20 catches for 426 yards and 5 touchdowns
- 39 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries on defense
- 20.4 yards per kickoff return & 1 touchdown
- 718 all-purpose yards
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- No film at this time
- Leading receiver for the Bulldogs
- 23 catches for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns
- 256 yards rushing and a touchdown
- Led team in all-purpose yards with 1,012
- 32 tackles and 2 interceptions on defense
- 367 return yards
Other 2027 WRs to Know:
Isaias Selen Isaias Selen 6'3" | 210 lbs | WR Princeton | 2027 WV – Princeton
Jerame Hunter Jerame Hunter 5'7" | 140 lbs | WR Martinsburg | 2027 WV – Martinsburg
Phillip Shields Phillip Shields 5'10" | 150 lbs | WR Musselman | 2027 WV – Musselman
Wyatt Meadows Wyatt Meadows 5'10" | 135 lbs | WR Washington | 2027 WV – Washington
Tight Ends
2027 Nymir Bryant Nymir Bryant 6’6″ | 205 lbs | TE St. Joseph Catholic | 2027 WV has made PRZ WV history for being the first Huntington St. Joe player to be added to the site. The program just finished its first season of football at the JV level for the first time since dropping the sport during WWII. Bryant is a big-time basketball athlete but is trying his hand at football too and selfishly I hope he sticks it out for the next three years. He’ll start at TE on our rankings and Watch List but really could end up at a few different positions in the future. Bryant has great length at 6’5 180 with tremendous athletic ability from his basketball background. If he can bulk up to the size needed, Bryant could develop into a high-level DE/Edge prospect too, and did a lot of good things as a DE/OLB during his freshman season. If Bryant sticks it out with football, he’ll be a future D1 prospect if he wants to be but will also be a sought-after basketball prospect too.
Check out his elite athleticism below with major hops as an 8th grader.
Highlights
Cabell Midland’s Eli Thompson Eli Thompson 6’2″ | 190 lbs | TE Cabell Midland | 2027 WV could be considered a TE or DE prospect at this time but will start at TE on our Watch List. Listed at 6’2 190 right now, Thompson has solid early size and will likely only keep growing over time. He showed a lot of versatility as a freshman TE on the Knights’ younger team being able to run routes as an in-line TE as well as being a blocker at the same spot. Thompson showed early signs of being a very good blocker at the position and did a great job sealing off the edge which created a lot of big plays for teammates. He was downright dominant at times as a blocker which is great to see with so many young TEs being glorified big receivers these days and the early emphasis on the blocking aspect will pay dividends for him down the line. Thompson was also a tenacious defensive end and I wouldn’t rule out that position as being his best in the future.
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