2028 Offensive Positional Grades

Scott Burgess March 3, 2026 @ 09:00 AM

***Use Code “ScottyB30” for 30% off your subscription***   The new 2028 rankings have been released and expanded to 300 prospects!  With that we will be diving into every single position group over the next few weeks, but first we want to look at the class as a whole grading each position in terms of top talent and depth.  Here are the 2028 Offensive Positional Grades!   Quarterback   Grade: B-   [player_tooltip player_id='422465' first='Matthew' last='Lee'] of Loyola sits at the top of the class as a 6'4” pure pocket passer that is clean mechanically and is a no doubt P4 signal caller.  He has all the tools you look for in a passer at this age and the next star QB out of Chicago.  Three central Illinois and southern Illinois QBs follow that have shown promise in [player_tooltip player_id='1683690' first='Archie' last='Goewey'] (Centralia), [player_tooltip player_id='427474' first='Jadon' last='Wilson'] (East St. Louis), and [player_tooltip player_id='971616' first='Marion' last='Persich'] (La Salle Peru).  Big, strong, and athletic guys that can do damage with arms and legs.  Other top 100 guys include [player_tooltip player_id='992492' first='Dominic' last='Vita'] (Providence), [player_tooltip player_id='971614' first='Malik' last='Carter'] (Huntley), Ronald Smith Jr (Morgan Park), [player_tooltip player_id='2140261' first='Chase' last='Sennett'] (Normal West), [player_tooltip player_id='992460' first='Noah' last='Garcia'] (Washington), and [player_tooltip player_id='1701753' first='Hunter' last='Hochbaum'] (Breese Mater Dei).  After the top tier the majority of the class still has good size in the 6'1” to 6'2” range.  There are a lot of names on the list and some will certainly break out over the next year, but it is a step back so far from the 2027 group.   Running Back   Grade: A   Running back usually isn't a “high value position” from a scouting standpoint when looking at college or the NFL Draft scouting.  Going through the rankings and grades there were more and more running backs popping up and getting legit P4 and G5 grades.  [player_tooltip player_id='1052579' first='Ky'ren' last='Edmon'] is the top dog as the Bradley Bourbonnais running back has the chance to be a complete back at the next level and is starting to get recruited like it. The depth is what really stands out as there are a record number of backs in the top 100 that come in different sizes and skill sets.  A few of the headliners include [player_tooltip player_id='2140174' first='Jayden' last='Garrett'] (Loyola), [player_tooltip player_id='1687796' first='Lamar' last='Osterhues'] (Barrington), [player_tooltip player_id='1642374' first='Jalen' last='Callaway'] (Aurora Christian), [player_tooltip player_id='1617798' first='Jaquel' last='Edmonds'] (Carmel), [player_tooltip player_id='887187' first='Logan' last='Lennon'] (Antioch), [player_tooltip player_id='1856080' first='Jamar' last='Lewis'] (King), [player_tooltip player_id='1682145' first='Decatur' last='Washington Jr.'] (Brother Rice), and [player_tooltip player_id='1605377' first='Nathaniel' last='Osayande'] (Evanston).  When you have a star and high level depth that gets you an A!   Wide Receiver   Grade: A-   If you include a couple guys that are in the “athlete” category in the wide receiver group they would have got an even higher grade.  Two of the truly blue chip prospects in the class are [player_tooltip player_id='1659180' first='Marshaun' last='Thornton'] (Mt. Carmel) and [player_tooltip player_id='974585' first='Jordan' last='McKinley'] (Loyola).  Thornton is a take the top off the defense guy while McKinley uses his elite power forward type skills at his size to dominate!  Gregory Bess-Henning makes a move up the board after a big sophomore campaign which has translated into recruiting attention.  Solid depth with a good number of pass catchers with size that can continue to evolve over the next two years including [player_tooltip player_id='1688392' first='DeAngelo' last='Coates'] (Providence Catholic), [player_tooltip player_id='2140189' first='Bryce' last='Kidd'] (Simeon), [player_tooltip player_id='1146723' first='Shea' last='Wells'] (Rolling Meadows), [player_tooltip player_id='1136696' first='Blayke' last='Lohmann'] (Wheaton St. Francis), [player_tooltip player_id='1682068' first='Kamryn' last='Farlow'] (Evanston), [player_tooltip player_id='1624418' first='Jaxon' last='Saint Paul'] (Hersey), and more.   Tight End   Grade: B-   Only a pair of top 100 guys, but one is in the top 10 overall in [player_tooltip player_id='1682020' first='Jack' last='McNamara'].  At a young age he already possesses good technique as a blocker along with being a skilled and athletic receiver at 6'5”.  No doubt P4 tight end! [player_tooltip player_id='2140200' first='Grant' last='Smith'] is actually more of a hoops prospect, but when we popped on the film he jumps out at 6'6” 190 pounds as an electric athlete that if he wanted to be a football player in college certainly will have plenty of suitors!  [player_tooltip player_id='2139870' first='Milton' last='Sivels'] (Rich Township) is an emerging prospect at this position.   Offensive Lineman   Grade: B+   I would call this a rock solid class, but not necessarily to the extent we have seen in 2026 and 2027.  There are some massive dudes toward the top of the board with [player_tooltip player_id='1682057' first='Brayden' last='Weaver'] (Tuscola), [player_tooltip player_id='1621319' first='Brock' last='Thompson'] (Loyola), [player_tooltip player_id='1052306' first='Javell' last='Donley'] (East St. Louis), [player_tooltip player_id='2140176' first='Jerry' last='Richmond'] (East St. Louis), [player_tooltip player_id='1682045' first='Ben' last='Coleman'] (Providence Catholic), [player_tooltip player_id='1060615' first='Joshua' last='Larsen'] (Hope), [player_tooltip player_id='1087387' first='Wyatt' last='VanBoening'] (Carmel), [player_tooltip player_id='1289319' first='Stephen' last='Caxton-Idowu'] (Sandburg), and [player_tooltip player_id='1629961' first='Kajus' last='Muralis'] (Waubonsie Valley) ranging from 6'4” to 6'7” and most between 270 and 300+ pounds at an early age.   Athlete   Grade: A   Stellar class of dual athletes who can play multiple positions.  [player_tooltip player_id='2140165' first='Grant' last='Bowen'] from IC Catholic is the #1 athlete with his impact ability as both a pass catcher and defender.  [player_tooltip player_id='1683691' first='Kenny' last='Bratton'] (Centralia), [player_tooltip player_id='1682049' first='Logan' last='Thompson'] (Althoff), [player_tooltip player_id='1565277' first='Quincy' last='Fulton'] (Newton), and [player_tooltip player_id='1682061' first='Bo' last='Sutter'] (Dunlap) are all central and southern Illinois prospects that jump off film with their size, skill, and versatility!  [player_tooltip player_id='1687803' first='Jayden' last='Ruth'] (Yorkville) has major juice and is one to watch.  More top 100 guys include [player_tooltip player_id='2140244' first='Elijah' last='Donahue'] (Glenbard South), [player_tooltip player_id='2140257' first='Ryne' last='Shroff'] (Wheaton North), [player_tooltip player_id='2005859' first='Cooper' last='Kisgen'] (Freeburg), [player_tooltip player_id='2140258' first='Cha'von' last='Maxon'] (El Paso Gridley), and [player_tooltip player_id='1353119' first='Nigel' last='Griffin'] (Cahokia).

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