2027 Ranking Preview of Highly Ranked Unoffered Defenders

The Class of '27 ranking update will soon be here. We will add around 200 prospects to our rankings. Big shout out to my fellow Virginia scout [player_tooltip player_id='1680749' first='Carl' last='Frederick'] for taking the time to put the rankings together. Today, I am previewing DBs, LBs, and ATHs who will receiving high ranks and are still looking for their first offer.     ***At the time of publishing, the updated 2027 rankings have not been posted. The current rankings for each prospect are subject to change in the update***    Wide Receiver and Defensive Back prospect with solid size and a good frame. Arguably has the best film of any of our unoffered prospects in the class of 2027. We project him as a Cornerback at the next level. Very good athletic ability with very good foot quickness, hip fluidity, change of direction, lateral agility, foot speed, acceleration, good balance, and explosiveness. Very good line of scrimmage skills, with quick hands to engage receivers and push them off routes, with very good backpedal and hip fluidity to turn and run with receivers. Elite man coverage skills due to his very good use of hands, very good change of direction, and speed to run with receivers. Very good ball skills, with very good closing speed to break on the ball, with very good body control to deflect passes without drawing an interference penalty. Good leg strength and explosiveness to out-jump receivers and make a play. Good hands to make an interception with good ball carrying skills with his speed and agility to create positive yards after a pick. Good run support and open-field tackling making him a well-rounded player at the Corner position who can be depended upon. He also plays wide receiver for King's Fork which is not shown in his season highlights. Overall, a very good prospect who is a natural shut-down Cornerback that you can put in man coverage without the need for an overtop Safety.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/18015269/Reggie-Davis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> / <a href="https://x.com/NolimitRegg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a>     Safety prospect with good height and size. Good athletic ability with very good change of direction, lateral agility, good foot speed, foot quickness, balance, flexibility, explosiveness, and hip fluidity. Good processing at the start of the play to make his run/pass read. Very good range from his safety position, showing good speed and awareness on the field. Good versus the pass, with good Zone coverage and can be used in Man coverage. Good ball skills, timing the routes well to meet the receiver when the ball arrives. Shows good hand-eye coordination to deflect passes and good hands to make interceptions. Hard-hitting safety with very good tackling that is dependable in the open field. Can come into the box and offer run support, showing physical toughness taking on blocks and making tackles. Also plays QB for his team showing command of the offense as a passer and runner. Overall, a good prospect who we are high on at the safety position.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/18979502/Gage-Palmer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> / <a href="https://x.com/12kGage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a>     A speed-rush Edge defender with very good height and frame. Good athletic ability with very good explosiveness, good foot quickness, lateral agility, change of direction, flexibility, foot speed, acceleration, and balance. Good upfield burst, with a quick step that gains leverage against Tackles. Good outside speed rush forcing tackles to turn their shoulders while bending around them with a rip move and cornering to the QB. Very good inside counter move after setting up the outside rush with very good closing speed on the QB. Good pass rush finish, putting pressure on the QB, and good grip strength to make a sack. Good versus the run with good use of hands to engage linemen and shed the block. Good lateral movement to defend the run down the line of scrimmage with solid ability to set the edge. Overall, a good prospect who has a lot of upside to his game as an Edge Rusher as he develops his strength and mass which will allow him to play with more power alongside his speed.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16319835/Linkin-Stevens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> / <a href="https://x.com/LinkinStevens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a>     A Safety prospect with very good height, good frame, and long legs. Good athletic ability with good acceleration, speed, lateral movement, change of direction, hip fluidity, and explosiveness. Very good range on the field due to good run/pass reads and processing of the play combined with his speed and acceleration. Solid angle processing when driving to the ball. Good Zone Coverage, showing good processing, reading the QB's eyes, and making a break on the ball with solid ball skills. Has the size to match up against larger receivers and the athleticism to cover quicker receivers. Very good tackler versus the run and pass. Can be depended on to make open-field tackles and prevent big plays. Overall, a good prospect who can play Strong or Free Safety who has good processing at the Safety position to lead the defense, can provide deep pass coverage versus larger receiver types, and provide good run game assistance.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17673015/William-Bostic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> / <a href="https://x.com/Will_bmoney" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a>     Safety prospect with solid height and a good frame. Good athletic ability displaying very good balance, good short-area quickness, acceleration, foot quickness, explosiveness, hip fluidity, foot speed, and change of direction. Good range from his deep safety position, showing good run/pass reads and good closing speed to his read. Good in Zone coverage, showing good hip fluidity and change of direction to turn and cover a receiver in change of direction routes. Good in run defense, with good downhill speed. Stays balanced when breaking down to make a tackle, able to use his good short-area quickness to not allow ball carriers to evade him and has very good grip strength and open-field tackling. Also plays running back for his team, showing good burst through the line of scrimmage, with a physical running style that complements his good athleticism. Overall, a good prospect who we project as a Safety at the next level who can provide Zone and Man coverage creating versatility in his role.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/19660426/Fred-Dolan">Hudl</a>     Very good height and good frame. Good athletic ability displaying good foot speed, change of direction, balance, acceleration, lateral movement, foot quickness, hip fluidity, and explosiveness. Safety and Running Back prospect. As a Safety, he can align deep, in the box, and as a nickelback. He displays good range developed by his speed, acceleration, and change of direction. Very good processing to read the play and his run/pass keys, with good Zone processing in pass coverage to be in position to make a play. Solid man coverage, using his good hip fluidity, change of direction, and speed to keep coverage and mirror the receiver. Good ball skills, showing the ability to play the ball and disrupt the pass with good hands to make an interception when available. Good run support, playing with good strength and explosiveness in the box to shed blocks and make a tackle. Dependable open-field tackler. Can provide a speed rush off the edge using his speed and a shoulder dip to corner offensive tackles and put pressure on the QB. As a Running Back, he displays good patience and vision in the backfield, letting his blocks develop. Good burst, showing good acceleration and balance through the hole to the second level. Shows the ability to weave through blocks downfield to find the best path to gain extra yards. Shows good run strength to finish runs and lowers his shoulder through defenders to gain positive yards through contact. Can provide a basic route tree out of the backfield with soft hands and good ability to quickly become a runner after the catch. Runs with good competitive toughness and dependability to take what is given to him and not create negative plays trying to run beyond his means. Not one to create yards on his own as a ball carrier with elusiveness or power to break good tackles. Overall, a good prospect we project will be a Safety at the next level due to his mental processing, Zone coverage, and run support ability.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/18979502/Gage-Palmer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> / <a href="https://x.com/12kGage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a>     Solid height and frame. Good athletic ability displaying very good explosiveness, good acceleration, hip fluidity, flexibility, lateral movement, balance, foot quickness, solid foot speed, and change of direction. Can align as a stacked LB or as an EDGE defender. Very good speed pass rush from stacked and edge alignments, with good acceleration, gaining leverage with his speed and showing good hip fluidity, bend, and shoulder dip around offensive linemen. Good closing speed on the QB that puts pressure on him, putting his hands up to swat the ball if he can't hit the QB, and good grip strength to grab and bring the QB down for the sack. Good range from the stacked LB position on outside runs to minimize yardage gained. Good gap integrity on inside runs, with good block shed using his quickness and hand usage. Good strength and explosiveness in his tackles that allow him to drive through ball carriers. Good Zone processing in pass coverage, understanding where he should be and reading the QB's eyes to be in position. Overall, a good linebacker prospect who wins with speed and quickness over strength and power. I like him as a speed-rush edge defender, but he has the versatility to play in a stacked position allowing him to be a three-down backer.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/19523202/Jayce-Bigelow" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> / <a href="https://x.com/Jayycce__" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X</a>    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   Click <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospect-index/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> to claim your Prep Redzone Prospect Index profile. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/GoLions1934" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@GoLions1934</a> for further content | <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneVA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@PrepRedzoneVA</a>, and <a href="https://x.com/PrepRedzone" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@PrepRedzone</a> | Virginia Scouts <a href="https://twitter.com/carljfred" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@carljfred</a> & <a href="https://x.com/EdOBrienCFB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@EdOBrienCFB</a> | View my previous Prep Redzone articles <a href="https://prepredzone.com/author/cole-laing-author/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>

The Class of '27 ranking update will soon be here. We will add around 200 prospects to our rankings. Big shout out to my fellow Virginia scout Carl Frederick Carl Frederick 6'4" | 200 lbs | QB/ATH Alexandria City | 2027 VA for taking the time to put the rankings together. Today, I am previewing DBs, LBs, and ATHs who will receiving high ranks and are still looking for their first offer.