Peach State Stars at MSL Combine

MSL Magangement held an NFL type of combine in Atlanta Saturday, and some of the state's best prospects were on hand to show what they can do, and get taught by some of the best in the business.

MSL Management held its first ever high school combine in Atlanta, GA yesterday. It was a short drive down I-75 from Marietta to Georgia Tech's campus yesterday, and I was thrilled to see the turnout from some of the Peach State's finest players and high school coaches.

MSL is run a little different than most combines that I've been to in that each of the drills are filmed and logged by player number. At the end of the day, each player's drills and tests had already been compiled by more than half a dozen cameras on the practice fields. The camera work slowed the day down a bit, but in the end it was worth it for the players to have their entire day logged on video. 

MSL plans to make these videos readily available to coaches across the country for both the college ranks and the NFL ranks in the very near future, and this can be a powerful tool for evaluation purposes because of the limits that coaches in college have by the NCAA to see the prospects live.

Now, instead of calling a coach and saying that there was a good looking player at camp, MSL calls the coach and SHOWS him that there was a good looking player at camp.

The promise of the future brought several of the top high school prospects from the state of Georgia to Georgia Tech's campus, and here were some of the highlights.

The 40 Yard Dash was run on "Field Turf", which is a notoriously slow surface because of the softness of the rubber. Rather than reacting when the foot pushes, it gives a bit more than a dry grass field, and significantly more than a track. However, that didn't stop some players from posting very good times, and the times for all of the players were consistent. I had the pleasure of being able to assist in one of the 40 stations (Players ran two times, one in each direction), and here are some of the top times on the day from my station.

40 Yard Dash:

4.20 - Will Judson - Sandy Creek
4.33 - Kareem Togba - Grayson
4.39 - Zach Johnson - Grayson
4.42 - Isaiah Gay - Washington
4.43 - Jerome Touchstone - Riverdale
4.46 - Jared Spivey - Benedictine Military
4.48 - Tim Gray - Collins Hill
4.50 - Emmanuel Spann - Westlake
4.52 - Rodney Ezzard Jr. - Chamblee
4.52 - Corey Thompson - Douglass
4.53 - Brad Lester - Parkview
4.53 - Jabari Marshall - Mays
4.54 - Corey Spells - Mays
4.55 - Josh Allen - Roswell
4.56 - Tristan Davis - Tri Cities

No, that was not a misprint above, Will Judson was officially clocked at 4.20. Several coaches were interested to see Judson run, and we had 4 clocks on him. The official time was 4.20, a coach from Parkview had 4.26, one of his coaches from Sandy Creek had 4.26, and I had 4.28. This is the third time I have been at a camp that has had him at 4.28 or better, and it was the third different surface.

At 5-8 and 150 pounds, believe it or not, Judson is the strongest player on the Sandy Creek team with a legit 425 parallel squat. He ran with the receivers yesterday, but his future is at corner and return man. I mentioned that the extra cushion of the field turf slows some players down, but I don't think this applies to Judson; I'm not sure his feet hit the ground when he's running. - Photo Chris Collins

Stephenson's Josh Johnson is a 4 Star linebacker and the #16 player at his position by TheInsiders.com. He is an impressive physical specimen, and he had a good time at the camp. Unfortunately the camp ran a bit long, and he didn't get to work in coverage drills against the running backs, but I've seen what he can do on the field already, and he is worthy of his lofty ranking.

Speaking of impressive performances, Trey Brewer has continued to get stronger. He posted 41 reps of 185 at the Nike Camp in May, and he repped 185 46 times yesterday, despite having to stop not once, but twice to adjust the weights that were sliding off the bar. Brewer is a beast of a fullback prospect that is just now getting the recognition he deserves.

McEachern's Gerald McRath is one of the top linebacker prospects in the state. He has a huge wingspan, and can run like a deer. He has yet to pick up his first offer, and he will be a steal for the team to step up and sign this kid.

A Glimpse at the future? Mays' Calvin Booker hands off to Parkview's Brad Lester. Both players are currently committed to Auburn. In the background, you can see two of the many cameras set up to capture the action on video.

 

Buford's Kyle Manley prepares to make a handoff to Jason Davis of Duluth. Manley was one of the top QB's at the camp yesterday, and he is on the verge of his first D1 offer.

McEachern's C.J. Barrows takes a handoff from Kyle Manley. Barrows played defense for the first time last season, and he is growing into the role. Some teams are recruiting him for running back and some at safety. 

Frank Morton of Southwest Dekalb looked good in drills. His 5.1 forty was one of the best of the day for the big men. Southwest Dekalb has not lived up to their own lofty standards the past couple of years, but look out for them this season. 

Josh Johnson and Gerald McRath take a second between drills to take a picture together.

Tri-Cities is loaded this year and Frank Alston is a big reason why. He will be a handful on the line of scrimmage this season.

Julius Williams of Towers will be a player to watch this year. His 4.78 forty time was one of the best on the day for the linebackers as was his 23 reps on the bench press.

Did we mention that Sandy Creek was loaded this year? The weapons on offense speak for themselves, Calvin Johnson, Will Judson, and Phillip Hyde man the offense, and Jeremy Long (pictured) will help take care of the defense. Sandy Creek will be a team to contend with in 4A this season.

TheInsiders.com will bring you pictures from the action at the MSL Combine all week long as well as more of the results from the testing.