Deep Dives: 704 Metro Area Defensive Backs

We are continuing our Deep Dive Series, now branching out to the surrounding counties outside of Charlotte, known as the 704 Metro Area! We are looking at players specifically in Cleveland, Gaston, Union, Cabarrus, and Iredell counties. If we have a special player in another adjacent county - such as Stanly, Lincoln, or Rowan - they will be eligible for inclusion in this ranking also!   We will keep it going with the defensive backs in the 704 Metro Area, and we will follow the same setup as we did for Mecklenburg County: The top five players will get their own individual breakdown, while our remaining players will get a summarized analysis of their abilities. Let's get started!    These defensive backs are all VERY close on the same level, so this really came down to physical attributes and positional versatility, and Ayven has this in abundance. Ayven can play outside corner, slot corner, and half-field safety all at a very high level. Ayven excels in run support from all three positions, and you can see that very clearly in his highlight film. Ayven also shows great tackling skills in the open field, and he's not afraid to lay the wood in a big way. Ayven has great speed in coverage and shows impressive hustle at all times, chasing down would-be touchdowns from tens of yards away on multiple occasions. Ayven has an offer from Gardner-Webb currently, but with camp season coming soon, I'm expecting a lot more recruiting attention to come his way soon.     Continuing with the positional versatility theme, Mason has been one of my favorites in the defensive back category for a while now. Mason can also play an outside linebacker hybrid role as well, and I think he excels here. Mason loves to be physical and can tackle with the best of them from a defensive back perspective. Mason can play very well in pass coverage in both man and zone schemes, and his football intelligence consistently shows on film, knowing where to be and making the plays consistently when they come his way. I wrote about Mason recently, saying that recruiting interest would start to pick up soon. Since then, Mason has visited Clemson and has a junior day visit lined up with Wofford, and I think that will be just the beginning for him.     Trey is a great athlete whom I've seen up close a couple of times. He's a very good cornerback and has made some plays against some very good receivers since being over at Cannon School. I think Trey's strength is playing man coverage, and he plays with refined technique on the outside. I love to see how hard Trey continuously works at his craft to become the best player he can be, and that's a trait that even some of the most talented players just don't have. Trey had 3 interceptions last season, and he's starting to get some well-deserved recruiting attention to come his way.     When I was doing research for this article, I did not know Christian's name, but I had a couple of people I trust say he was a talented player, so I checked out his highlight film. And Christian can really play defensive back well. Christian really excels in zone coverage, and the connectivity and discipline he shows in playing his responsibility, and then the athleticism and agility to execute the scheme are at a high level. Christian also shows some nice ball skills with the ball in the air, and he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time consistently. Christian is not afraid to tackle from his outside corner position and has good speed to stay with receivers downfield.     Zane was another player I didn't know much about coming into this article, but I was really impressed watching his highlight film, which earned the #5 ranking for this piece. The thing I love about Zane is just the heart and hustle I can feel through watching the tape. He was a consideration for the ATH category because he can do some good things with the ball in his hands, but ultimately, I think his future lies on defense. At the safety position, Zane has some nice discipline in coverage, plays his responsibility well, and can make plays on the ball at the catch point. Zane also isn't afraid to come up and tackle in space, doing it well on several occasions in his film. Don't let the size fool you, this young man can ball.    Honorable Mentions   Nicolas Morrow - North Rowan [player_tooltip player_id='1678653' first='Aiden' last='Burke'] - Cuthbertson [player_tooltip player_id='2155074' first='Kendrick' last='Raper'] - Shelby [player_tooltip player_id='1884218' first='Kavion' last='Byers'] - Kings Mountain [player_tooltip player_id='1970938' first='Tucker' last='McWhirter'] - South Point Analysis   This is a talented group of defensive backs. The one name you probably don't know here - Nicolas Morrow (no relation, lol), is a heck of a player. He has great speed from being a track athlete and was all-conference for his safety position last season. He has an excellent range and had several nice pass breakups and a couple of interceptions last season. [player_tooltip player_id='1678653' first='Aiden' last='Burke'] from Cuthbertson has some wonderful size at 6'4, and had a strong season with 54 tackles, 8 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions. He is also a contributor on offense at wide receiver. [player_tooltip player_id='2155074' first='Kendrick' last='Raper'] from Shelby had 3 interceptions this past season and was a major reason why Shelby was able to win a State Championship this past season. The only freshman on this list, [player_tooltip player_id='1884218' first='Kavion' last='Byers'], has a really, really bright future ahead of him. He had 61 tackles last season for the Mountaineers, and at 6'2 and 190 pounds already, you can see where his trajectory is going. [player_tooltip player_id='1970938' first='Tucker' last='McWhirter'] is a talented defensive back who had 5 interceptions this past season. He's got good athleticism and speed, and his drive to become better is impressive to me. I'd expect him to make a jump this upcoming season for sure.   [player_tooltip player_id='1607769' first='Jahmere' last='Canady'] - Crest [player_tooltip player_id='2164529' first='Charlie' last='Jones'] - Lake Norman [player_tooltip player_id='2071210' first='Micah' last='Crenshaw'] - Metrolina Christian [player_tooltip player_id='2065236' first='Nazae' last='Famble'] - Crest [player_tooltip player_id='1616104' first='Knowshaun' last='Taylor'] - Monroe   Analysis   Positional versatility is what I really like about both [player_tooltip player_id='1607769' first='Jahmere' last='Canady'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2164529' first='Charlie' last='Jones'], respectively. Both of these players can play in space in the secondary in coverage, but then you can bring them down into the box in short-yardage situations and against run-heavy formation teams. Expect both of these guys to continue to get college interest because they have the size that programs like along with good athletic ability to match it. [player_tooltip player_id='2071210' first='Micah' last='Crenshaw'] had 3 interceptions this past season, and also contributes on offense with some game-changing plays. I like him as a defensive back because he shows a nice ability to tackle in the open field, along with his coverage skills. [player_tooltip player_id='2065236' first='Nazae' last='Famble'] is a young prospect at 6'1 who's got a bright future ahead of him for the Chargers. As a free safety, he already shows nice range and coverage discipline, along with the ability to high point the football down the field. And finally, [player_tooltip player_id='1616104' first='Knowshaun' last='Taylor'] is an excellent athlete with impressive speed and agility. He will play an important role at the defensive back position for the Redhawks, along with the ability to contribute as a dynamic returner on special teams and a change-up running back on offense.

We are continuing our Deep Dive Series, now branching out to the surrounding counties outside of Charlotte, known as the 704 Metro Area! We are looking at players specifically in Cleveland, Gaston, Union, Cabarrus, and Iredell counties. If we have a special player in another adjacent county - such as Stanly, Lincoln, or Rowan - they will be eligible for inclusion in this ranking also!