Columbus Rank: 7th

Mark has tremendous upside at the next level. He has great length and athleticism that pair very well as a boundary corner or safety. On the boundary, you are taking a big risk testing him deep due to his speed and frame to break up passes or intercept passes. He’s quick getting out of his break and excels in getting his hand in front of his matchup from behind to break up passes.

Thorpe is a monster that can develop into a nightmare for opposing offenses. At 6’3”, he is gifted with very long arms to stop receivers at the line of scrimmage and he has the athleticism to play as a deep safety. He has good hips and can flip and recover well. He has good ball skills and against the wide receivers in Hilliard Saturday, there wasn’t much that got past him. Thorpe holds all the assets to become a D1 player at the highest of levels, so I anticipate a big season building for Thorpe.

In his first rankings Thorpe debuts at number 12. He’s a talented two-way player who excels and Receiver and Defensive back. At 6 foot 3 170 pounds I love how his combination of size, and length, and athleticism play on the defensive side of the ball. Mark is already starting to shine in a defense full of talented players. His aggressive and athletic skill set are a great fit for a physical Lions defense that loves to run and hit. Thorpe is already a skilled man-to-man cover corner. He uses his length well to jam Receivers at the line and has the speed to turn and run pf almost any Receiver. He has a solid break on the ball and uses his length to bat down passes. Mark gives off the vibes of a player who is ready to blow up on the P4 scene.