South Dakota 27' Pos. Breakdown: DB10-DB6

More position breakdowns across the Dakotas with the release of our 2027 rankings. We roll into the defensive backs group starting with the top 10 going down to 6. Plenty of Saturday talent on this list, plenty that could move up, and plenty of upside across the board!    Trequin is one that could be a stockriser in this group by next update, as his instincts down the ball show off the pure presence you want out of your cornerback position on short routes. He's one that is proficent as a ball-tracker with great lower body length and footwork to trend hand in hand with the wide receiver that comes his way especially on intermediate routes. The 6'1 170 pounder from the Tanagers, also has an intriguing vertical that shows he can persistently get up for the ball as a cornerback that has plenty of upside that hopefully we will see him untap it this summer.     Carter may have not have posted his defensive back tape as of yet, but what he did post so off how physical our DB9 in this 2027 class is out of powerhouse Wall, who had the largest group of next-level prospects in 9-man football on National Signing Day. He has upside developing his footwork at the cornerback position, but there's not a doubt that this young man's instinctive ball-tracking ability strucks a chord quickly in our eyes when you log his first few clips on tape from his sophomore season, so I can imagine there has been growth in that skillset from over a year ago. He's one of the harder hitter you will meet in this group and plays above his 6'0 170 pound frame.   <a href="https://x.com/carter_sundall">TWITTER</a>     Aidan is the first safety in this grouping and comes out of what is one of my favorite secondary units in the state last year which is Sioux Falls Lincoln. The 6'1 180 pounder for the Patriots, is surely a rangy athlete that is excellent as a box specialist that is attentive with his vison getting down to slow run the run game on a constant basis. He doesn't have a ton of tape that shows what he can do in pass-coverage but as far as I can see when the Patriots need a stop in red zone situations he can elevate their secondary with his length and awareness. Surely one of several on this list that we were on early that can play on Saturdays in my eyes.     The first new name we added to our top 10 amongst the defensive back position is one of two Sioux Falls Lincoln Patriots in this group, as we meet [player_tooltip player_id='2110194' first='Dexter' last='Johnson'], who plays cornerback for the Pats. What pops out immeidately when you watch Dexter is the agility he has to get from one read to the next as he is more sudden than he gets credit for with his agile movement. He is one of the most rangy cornerbacks you are going to find on this list and can hold down 1v1 coverage for a long time. It doesn't take long to see position flexibility either from Dexter, as he also showed off sound reps at safety on his junior tape, but the fit I like at cornerback would fit best in my eyes at the next-level.     There's no doubt that for years that the Brandon Valley Lynx have had some of the best athletes throughout our rankings, and they have another that we added to our radar as our DB6 in the 2027 class is [player_tooltip player_id='2092846' first='Gavin' last='Johnson']. With Gavin, you get a flex between a gap specialist and one that also carries all the range you want your safeties to have to play in pass coverage. He also appears as an athlete that has a sound football IQ as one that pre-reads where the ball could go and gets into position to make a play after the ball is in the air. Gavin is a tough one to beat as a deep safety when there is horizontal routes that come his way.

More position breakdowns across the Dakotas with the release of our 2027 rankings. We roll into the defensive backs group starting with the top 10 going down to 6. Plenty of Saturday talent on this list, plenty that could move up, and plenty of upside across the board!