Grading the 2027 Defensive Position Groups

Happy Rankings Week, and welcome to my favorite article series of any rankings cycle. I don't do this often; the last time was <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/grading-the-2027-defensive-position-groups/">almost a year ag</a>o. It's helpful to look at the position groups for trends regarding the class as a whole. Which are the strongest? Where are the deepest positions? Here, we're looking at the defensive position groups in the 2027 class, grading each one and providing some big-picture analysis.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Grading the 2027 Defensive Position Groups</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Interior Defensive Line: B</h3>   The Numbers: 54 ranked IDL, five top 50, nine top 100, 21 top 250   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1656785' first='Antwan' last='McKoy']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/nathanael-kamba/"></a> (No. 15 overall), St. Pauls   Strongest Level: FCS   I really like this interior defensive line group, even if it's a tough one to describe. The talent is fairly evenly distributed, with 4-5 Power Four guys, 6-7 Group of Five guys, and several who could end up at the FCS level.   It's a group that is far from settled. Since last year, we've seen McKoy jump Corvian Community duo [player_tooltip player_id='1607751' first='Nathanael' last='Kamba'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1353067' first='Jesiah' last='Fields']. In the middle of the Division I range, we have several fast risers, including [player_tooltip player_id='2108371' first='CJ' last='Dickerson'] (Hunt), [player_tooltip player_id='2152337' first='Trint' last='Totten'] (Eastern Alamance), and [player_tooltip player_id='1788150' first='Infinite' last='Morrow'] (Central Cabarrus), all of whom had breakout junior campaigns.   The middle is congested, with 10 interior defenders ranked in a 63-spot range between 170 and 235. There are also some potential risers below that with guys like Tyler Gorham (SouthWest Edgecomb) and [player_tooltip player_id='2100550' first='Lamont' last='Hunt Jr']. (Corinth Holders).   Overall, it's a solid group with the potential to get even better.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Edge: B</h3>   The Numbers: 45 ranked Edges, eight top 50, 11 top 100, 22 top 250   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1553113' first='Rashad' last='Streets'] (No. 5 overall), Millbrook   Strongest Level: Power Four   In terms of top-end talent, the edge group gets an A, but it's a bit lacking in true depth. There are eight Top-50 players at the edge position, with a few beyond that arbitrary number with numerous Power Four offers. It's a great year to need an edge rusher (let's be honest, all top teams need an edge rusher) for the top schools in the area.   Streets, [player_tooltip player_id='1029786' first='Griff' last='Galloway'], [player_tooltip player_id='1607844' first='Xavier' last='Perkins'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1607067' first='Andrew' last='Rogers'] are highly sought-after Power Four guys. Even guys ranked a bit lower ([player_tooltip player_id='2104464' first='Amir' last='Moore'], [player_tooltip player_id='1318716' first='Griffin' last='Cockerham']) have plenty of high-major options to choose from.   There's even potential for more to join them.   Clayton's [player_tooltip player_id='444280' first='Jordan' last='Hamm'] is an impressive edge prospect who turned heads at the Under Armour camp a few weeks ago. He's a guy who should see his recruitment take off. Down a bit in the FCS range, [player_tooltip player_id='1610537' first='Randy' last='James'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1658913' first='Josiah' last='Sturdivant'] are heating up on the recruiting trail.   The depth is a bit lacking in that over half of the ranked edge rushers are inside the top 37 percent of the rankings. That doesn't mean there aren't potential risers in the back half of the rankings.   Bunn's Ta'Ronn Mitchell and Reynolds' [player_tooltip player_id='2171825' first='Tim' last='Martin'] ranked highly in their respective County Deep Dives (which measure high school performance). If they show out at some camps and put on a bit more weight, they'll start to pick up some momentum on the recruiting trail, too.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Linebackers: A-</h3>   The Numbers: 94 ranked LBs, six top 50, nine top 100, 25 top 250   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1678635' first='Jalaythan' last='Mayfield']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/nathanael-kamba/"></a> (No. 4 overall), Lincolnton   Strongest Level: High Division II-FCS   The linebacker position is both talented at the top and very, very deep, with more ranked players we've ever had at the position   There are also three linebackers in the top 12 and four in the top 22, with all four getting heavy Power Four interest. Mayfield, Millbrook standout [player_tooltip player_id='651173' first='Quinton' last='Cypher'], and new Hough transfer [player_tooltip player_id='949642' first='Michael' last='Griffin Jr']. lead the way, and the Power Four group argues for being the best cluster of the linebacker groups.   But I really like the group of linebackers likely heading to the Division II level. It seems to me like colleges have slow-played this group just a bit, and we have FCS grades on several guys who only have Division II offers at the moment. Guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1957195' first='Davis' last='Weycker'] (Piedmont), [player_tooltip player_id='379024' first='Memphys' last='Barb'] (Lake Norman), [player_tooltip player_id='1692741' first='Jackson' last='Laws'] (Cannon School), and [player_tooltip player_id='2104509' first='Brayden' last='Fortenberry'] (Stuart Cramer) don't quite have the top recruiting interest we think they'll eventually get.   Even below that, some guys could get on a recruiting heater, as they have high upside. I'm looking in particular at Jordan's [player_tooltip player_id='1607793' first='Evan' last='Harewood'], Scotland's [player_tooltip player_id='1610592' first='Rasheme' last='Wilkerson'], and Clayton's [player_tooltip player_id='1665959' first='Imarii' last='Givens'], among others in a deep linebacker position group.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Backs: A+</h3>   The Numbers: 98 ranked LBs, 10 top 50, 22 top 100, 40 top 250   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='320308' first='Xavier' last='Hasan']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/nathanael-kamba/"></a> (No. 2 overall), Cardinal Gibbons   Strongest Level: FBS   While I'm not in charge of ranking players from other states, I'd put this position group up against any position from anywhere in the U.S. It's that good.   Let's just start from the top. Four of the top eight in our 2027 rankings are defensive backs (Hasan, [player_tooltip player_id='1422524' first='Josh' last='Dobson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1610603' first='Tre' last='Geathers'], [player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones']), with six others in the top 50. 12 of the next 50 players (Ranked 51-100) are defensive backs, and if we're being honest, several more could go FBS beyond the top 100.   For example, Jacksonville's [player_tooltip player_id='1607071' first='Matthew' last='Smoot'] is ranked 34th among defensive backs and has half a dozen FBS offers.   This group is also the most improved. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/grading-the-2027-defensive-position-groups/">Last year</a>, I graded this group as a B+. While that admittedly looks a bit harsh now, even for what we knew at the time, there are other reasons that this grade has improved so drastically.   Some transfers, late bloomers, and position changes helped. Dobson is a national recruit who moved from South Carolina. Two of our five biggest watchlist-to-ranked jumps ([player_tooltip player_id='1623147' first='Grady' last='Beam'], [player_tooltip player_id='1923547' first='Stone' last='Eich']) are defensive backs, as are five of the 13 biggest unranked-to-ranked jumps. You can read more about both of those in our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/behind-the-scenes-of-the-2027-rankings-spring/">behind-the-scenes</a> piece.   Here's the kicker. I'm not even including players listed as athletes who will likely play defensive back at the next level. Include guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1159953' first='Lance' last='Henderson'] (Southern Durham) and [player_tooltip player_id='1608315' first='Moses' last='Poku-Kankam'] (Providence Day), and you have the best, deepest position group we've ever had in the Prep Redzone era of North Carolina high school football.   Disagree with my grades? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>).

Happy Rankings Week, and welcome to my favorite article series of any rankings cycle. I don't do this often; the last time was almost a year ago. It's helpful to look at the position groups for trends regarding the class as a whole. Which are the strongest? Where are the deepest positions? Here, we're looking at the defensive position groups in the 2027 class, grading each one and providing some big-picture analysis.