We’ll keep the scouting reports rolling on top prospects from across the country.
Nigel Smith II – DL
Melissa, TX (Melissa High School)
DL prospect that has very good height with solid size. Good athleticism and speed, has a quick first step and gets into the blocker quickly. Displays good penetration when unblocked. Smart player that positions himself well to make plays in the run game. Very good strength, he is able to overwhelm blockers and push them back into the pocket with an effective bull rush. Very good at shedding blocks, he’s able to get extension on the blocker and slip off to make plays on the ball carriers from the backside of the play. A versatile player that has played all along the defensive line, he will fit better as a DE where he is able to leverage his athleticism and speed rush the passer coming off the edge.
Will need to fill out more and develop some additional pass-rush moves to counter his bull rush. Can work on getting his hands into the passing lane to help generate PBU’s, he should develop in these areas with college coaching and training. Good athlete that also played basketball at the high school level. Very good overall prospect that will be a good addition to any defensive scheme. He would be a good fit in the Big 12 where he can use his skills in the passing game to generate pressure on the QB. Should work his way into the rotation very quickly and develop into an every down player.
Good effort here by Nigel Smith (@NigelSmith_25) to make the stop for no gain. pic.twitter.com/GcIiZyjnJN
— Andrew Hattersley (@AndrewHatts) October 7, 2022
Drelon Miller – WR
Silsbee, TX (Silsbee High School)
WR prospect with good height and size. Very good athleticism and speed, he gets a good jump off the LOS, stems the top of his routes well and displays good strength to work through contact during the route. Very good in the open field, he reads blocks well and has good agility to evade tacklers and gain additional yards. Has the toughness to make catches in traffic and is willing to make plays in the middle of the field. Good reliable hands, can high point the ball well and times his jumps consistently against DBs. Good ball tracking as he can run down overthrows and make a play on the ball. Smart player that knows where to settle down in zone coverage and work his way open when the QB is in trouble. He is a versatile player that can take handoffs out of the backfield where he showed that he is a physical ball carrier that is willing to run through contact. He also played some wildcat QB where he took snaps out of shotgun and showed an ability to read the defense and quickly decide who to get the ball to immediately.
Can improve his effort as a blocker in the run game, he has the strength and physicality that should translate well in the run game. He will be an immediate contributor on special teams. Would be a good addition to any offense but would fit well with the more pass heavy teams in the Pac-12 where he can effectively use his skills in the receiving game. He should work his way into the rotation quickly and be an immediate contributor on the offensive side of the ball.
More Sports News
.@SHS_TigerNation WR Drelon Miller (@DrelonMiller) hit 20.6 mph (78%tile) on this 67–yard TD ?
? (@Texan_Live) pic.twitter.com/xooC7G6y4P
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) October 15, 2022
Jelani Watkins – WR
Houston, TX (Klein Forest High School)
WR prospect that has marginal height and size. Very good speed and athleticism, he gets a quick jump off the LOS and avoids contact when working against press coverage. Shows good hands and ball tracking ability. Dangerous player in the open field, has effective agility that he is able to leverage to create separation from tacklers on the second level. Very good screen option that knows how to run behind blockers and leverage them to get into open space. Versatile player that has also taken some stretch handoffs and end arounds.
Limited route tree as he was mainly asked to run Go and Post routes, his size may hurt him on in breaking routes at the next level. He will be an immediate contributor as a returner on special teams. Would be a good addition to an offense with a creative coordinator that will be able to scheme him touches throughout a game. He would be a good fit for one of the pass heavy teams in the ACC, where he can use his skills in the receiving game. He should work his way into the rotation and be an immediate contributor on special teams and the offensive side of the ball.
WOW. A one handed catch by Jelani Watkins!
He puts them deep into Humble territory looking to score.@laaared1 | #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/f5SKu76Hzl
— Walker Lott (@walker_lott) September 2, 2022
Taylor Tatum – RB
Longview, TX (Longview High School)
RB prospect that has solid height and size. Displays solid athletic ability and speed. Physical runner that keeps his feet moving through contact. He has good strength and a good stiff arm that he is able to leverage in the open field to get away from tacklers. Good agility moves in the open field. As a runner, he shows good vision and reads blocks well to reach the second level of defenders. Shows solid hands and is a solid route runner that stems his routes well and is able to get open both out of the backfield and from a slot WR position. He has some position versatility on offense with experience as slot WR.
Will need to develop pass protection skills and technique to become an every-down back. Multi-sport athlete that has played baseball and ran track in high school. He will be a good addition to any offense but would be a good fit for one of the more run-heavy physical style teams in the Big 10 where he can show off his physical run style. Should work his way into the rotation and will develop into a reliable every-down back after gaining valuable experience.
Playoffs week 2 ✔️
27 Carries 261 Yards 3 TD #bEASTtexas
Check out this highlighthttps://t.co/rj4GzDE5hW pic.twitter.com/O6oShkscYZ— Taylor Tatum (@taylortatum06) November 21, 2022