Defensive End and Defensive tackle are two positions
in the Peach State that seemingly never run dry or lack talent. Georgia
has pumped out big athletes at these spots year after year and 2007 should be
absolutely no different. Some of the stars expected to be on hand include Cameron
Heyward of Suwannee, Conrad
Obi of Loganville, Ted
Laurent of Powder Springs and Kenny
Jackson of Griffin.
Heyward is one of the most agile defensive tackles in the country and it’s no
surprise that the son of the great Ironhead Heyward has already collected offers
from the likes of Pittsburgh, Georgia,
Auburn, Ole
Miss and Maryland just to name a
few. He’ll be joined in the middle by none other than Ted Laurent who has also
thrown his hat in the ring for top honors at the DT spot in the Peach State this
season. With offers on the table already from Ole Miss, Mississippi
State, Georgia Tech and Auburn,
Ted has got a great start on making that a reality.
Kenny Jackson of Griffin High School is without a doubt one of the best rising
juniors you’re going to find. He dominates in the middle for the Bears and was
a huge part of their 2005 campaign that saw them reach the Georgia Dome for the
State AAAA semifinals. He’s a big time guy to keep an eye on in the class of
’08.
Conrad Obi became the University of Georgia’s second verbal commitment in the
waning days of the month of March. He has a great frame for a DE at 6’4 235lbs
and had already collected offers from schools like Florida,
Auburn, Alabama, Maryland and Mississippi
State before pledging to play for the Dawgs.
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Scout Combines presented By:
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Linebacker is another position that has traditionally
been a strong point for Georgia and it’s a good thing some of the state’s
best are headed to Atlanta on Saturday because the contingent of TE’s and
RB’s expected to attend promise to be one of the deepest at any combine
you’ll ever see.
Georgia commitment Rennie
Curran leads a top group that also includes Patrick
Hampton of Martin Luther King high school and Jonathan
Massaquoi of Central Gwinnett. Curran is a beast in the weight room but this
newest prospect to commit to the Bulldogs has repeatedly had to listen to
critics who question his 5’11 frame and wonder if he’ll be able to standout
on the collegiate level. He could go a long ways to shutting up some of those
questions with a good performance this weekend.
Massaquoi made plays all over the field last season for a Central Gwinnett squad
that was vastly improved. Scouts love his long and lanky stature as well as his
speed and ability to move sideline to sideline. He’s a player that with a
strong showing this weekend could really boost his stock.
Although listed at linebacker here, Patrick Hampton is the type of athlete that
could eventually put his hand down at the next level. The M.L. King product owns
offers from Maryland, Indiana and Duke,
but expect that total to rise as we progress through the summer months.
At the cornerback spot, one name you just have to mention is none other than
Creekside star Eric
Berry. This incredibly speedy athlete plays quarterback for the Seminoles
and is an absolute nightmare for defenses across the south Metro area. His best
spot in college should land him at cornerback but he’s so dynamic with the
ball in his grasp that it’s not of the question whatsoever to potentially see
him playing both sides of the football in the future. Berry’s father played at
Tennessee and Phil Fulmer’s squad
currently holds the advantage in the race for his signature. They won’t sign
him without a say from some of the top programs in the country however because
schools like Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Ohio
State, Miami and Texas
have all extended offers his way as well.
A pair of players expected to represent the safety slot in Atlanta are College
Park’s Morgan
Burnett and Camden County’s Willie
White. These two stars both own multiple division one offers and should
provide a good test for the wideouts during the one on one drills.
Like Berry, Burnett also plays quarterback for his high school team. He’s as
athletic as they come and during previous camps in which I had the pleasure of
watching, Burnett displayed tremendous ability to close the distance on a
receiver in a hurry. No matter if he’s 2 or 3 steps behind the offensive
player, you can never count him completely out of the play because he’s just
that much quicker once the ball is in the air.
When you’re talking about the most competitive players in the country, you
have to mention Willie White’s name. This tall safety has attended no less
than four combines this year sponsored by Scout.com, even traveling as far away
as Texas to compete in the Army All-American
event. He made our All-Combine team in Jacksonville three weeks ago as a
receiver but look for him to slide in at safety for somebody down the road.
He’s an enforcer back there for the Wildcats and he’s still just beginning
to fill out that 6’3 frame. Florida
State, South Carolina and
Georgia Tech are three of this South Georgian’s early offers.
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