Grading the 2027 Defensive Position Groups

My "grading the position groups" articles are among my favorite to write. It can be extremely helpful when looking at a class as a whole to break it down by position to see what the strongest positions are in the class. It can add context to the class as a whole and give insight to college coaches about where the state's areas of strength lie for each class.   I'm grading position group based on depth, top-end talent, number of players at that position within the top 50, 100, and 200 overall recruits, and by comparing the groups to past classes. We bucket players based on projected college level, so I'm also looking at where these classes are the strongest. Here, I'm looking at the four main defensive position groups. Which defensive position group will get the highest grade?   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Grading the 2027 Defensive Position Groups</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Interior Defensive Line: B-</h3>   The Numbers: 19 ranked IDL, five top 50, 10 top 100, 15 top 200   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1607751' first='Nathanael' last='Kamba'] (No. 8 overall), Corvian Community   Strongest Level: Evenly distributed   The most fascinating thing about this interior defensive line class is how evenly distributed it is. We have clear Power Four grades on five guys, as there are four players in the top 41 of our overall rankings. Another five rank between 70 and 83, in a high FCS/low Group of Five range. Five more rank between 100 and 150 with FCS grades and four more rank between 200 and 305.   That doesn't often happen, as typically classes are heavier in one particular projection bucket. Here, there are players for coaches at every level. I do like the FCS-level recruits here, with guys like 6'6" [player_tooltip player_id='1220047' first='Dalton' last='East'] having great upside and players like [player_tooltip player_id='1078495' first='Amari' last='Broome'] having strong production.   The top of this class is marked by high-potential players. There aren't many guys putting up ridiculous numbers or eye-popping film at the highest levels of the state, but there's a good deal of athleticism near the top. There are more small-school and rural prospects at the top of this class than I've seen in years past. Guys like Corvian's Kamba and [player_tooltip player_id='1353067' first='Jesiah' last='Fields'] are at the top, but we also have small-school prospects like [player_tooltip player_id='901324' first='Mekhi' last='Chavis'] lurking a bit lower in the rankings.   Fast-rising St. Pauls IDL [player_tooltip player_id='1656785' first='Antwan' last='McCoy'] and Seventy First tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1408808' first='John' last='Archer'] aren't at small schools, but do play in the Fayetteville area, a part of the state that is often overlooked. That can often mean they're later to the recruiting party than some of their similarly-talented peers.   Overall, it's a good class that is difficult to project. There's a ton of upside and we could look back in four years and wonder why several guys weren't ranked higher. But there's also a lower number of IDLs than in years' past and that number continues to drop as a few guys have transferred out of the state or changed positions.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Edge: B</h3>   The Numbers: 16 ranked Edge rushers, five top 50, nine top 100, 14 top 200   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1553113' first='Rashad' last='Streets'] (No. 1 overall), Millbrook   Strongest Level: Power Four   The top of this class does a bunch of the heavy lifting, with five players ranked in the top 33 and three in the top 9. Streets, [player_tooltip player_id='1607067' first='Andrew' last='Rogers'], and former No. 1 [player_tooltip player_id='1029786' first='Griff' last='Galloway'] do a bunch of the heavy-lifting here with nearly 100 combined offers and some elite numbers. Streets and Rogers were joined by top-55 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='444280' first='Jordan' last='Hamm'] as the top three sophomore sack artists not just in the state, but in the country, as they each hit at least 24 sacks last season.   There are some noticeable gaps in these rankings. All five top 50 prospects fall between 1 and 33. The four that join them in the top 100 all rank between 54 and 66, in a part of the rankings I like to call the "Wouldn't be surprised if a P4 called" range. After [player_tooltip player_id='1521383' first='Liam' last='Drayton'] at No. 66, there's a huge drop before you get to the next ranked edge, [player_tooltip player_id='1610537' first='Randy' last='James'] at 161. In fact, it's the widest gap between two players next to each other in any position rankings in the class. I really like the cluster of edge rushers in the 165-225 range, a group of seven players I really like, but who have something that might hold them back from being surefire D1 prospects, typically size or length.   That being said, I expect one or two guys to take a huge step forward and fill in the gaps. Somebody like [player_tooltip player_id='1610597' first='Nate' last='Norton'] could put on some weight and fill out his frame. There's plenty of potential for some reshuffling at edge.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Linebacker: A+</h3>   The Numbers: 39 ranked LBs, six top 50, 11 top 100, 24 top 200   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='651173' first='Quinton' last='Cypher'] (No. 4 overall), Millbrook   Strongest Level: FCS   This is in the running for the best position group I've ever scouted for Prep Redzone and it could unseat the 2023 DL class if it continues on this trajectory. Half of the top 6 are linebackers. There are 11 top 100 players, but the deepest part of the class might be the FCS level.   We have 13 linebackers ranked between 132 and 195 and I really like a lot of the guys in that range. Players like Pine Lake Prep's [player_tooltip player_id='1398025' first='Thomas' last='Kieffer'] and Wilkes Central's [player_tooltip player_id='1396354' first='Bralyn' last='Pyles'] are both impressive and could move up with a bit more weight and strong junior seasons. The crazy part is this group could actually grow.   We've got some smaller edge rushers who could eventually move off the ball. Weddington's [player_tooltip player_id='1234087' first='Rex' last='Conlon'] thrives at the high school level as a change-of-pace edge rusher, but if he plays more off the ball more in what could be a position shift, he could move up the rankings. Similarly, Garner's [player_tooltip player_id='1397877' first='AJ' last='Randle'] is making waves with his size and strength. He may move down to a pure linebacker position, which would only strengthen that position.   Finally, we have a few transfers coming into the state. Not all of them have gone public, but by the time the next rankings update rolls around, we could see even more highly-ranked linebackers.   College recruiters, if you need a linebacker, come get one.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Back: B+</h3>   The Numbers: 35 ranked defensive backs, seven top 50, 14 top 100, 25 top 200   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='320308' first='Xavier' last='Hasan'] (No. 2 overall), Cardinal Gibbons   Strongest Level: Group of Five   I have a complicated relationship with this defensive back class. Overall, it's an inexperienced, high-upside class that as a whole lacks speed. There are about 10 2027 defensive backs that have scouting notes in my phone resembling, "Very talented, correctable technique issues, wish he'd run .2 seconds faster."   While closing speed is overrated (in my opinion) at both corner and safety, it still matters, and it's frustrating to see guys I really like run 4.9 and 5.0 40s.   All that being said, this class has the potential to be elite, I'm just not ready to call it that yet as there are plenty of unknowns. Clayton's [player_tooltip player_id='366314' first='AK' last='Crumel'] is going through a position change while Rolesville's [player_tooltip player_id='946850' first='Marquis' last='Bryant'] has flown under the radar after two solid years following his explosion onto the recruiting scene.   At the Group of Five level, we've got plenty of talented defensive backs with eight ranked between 50 and 90. I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two guys in the next range fly up to join them, perhaps South Garner's [player_tooltip player_id='1580801' first='Joseph' last='Bailey'] or Panther Creek's [player_tooltip player_id='1372991' first='Darius' last='Smith'].   A few of these guys are going to be scheme-specific players and their final ranking could be determined partially by their future landing spots. So, some unsolicited advice for these defensive backs: find a school that fits your skill set, because it could make a huge difference.   Disagree with my grades? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>).

My "grading the position groups" articles are among my favorite to write. It can be extremely helpful when looking at a class as a whole to break it down by position to see what the strongest positions are in the class. It can add context to the class as a whole and give insight to college coaches about where the state's areas of strength lie for each class.