Mid-South Spotlight: Comparing top 2024 standouts to NFL players
Comparison is an essential part of college football recruiting. This week, Rivals is going region by region to compare some of today’s top high school prospects with current college or NFL players.
Dre’lon Miller – Deebo Samuel
If you’re looking for the high school version of San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Deebo Samuel, look no further than Miller. The four-star wideout out of Silsbee (Texas) is a versatile offensive threat who affects the game at a high level with the ball in his hands. He can stretch the field vertically, make tough competitive catches and turn a quick pass into a big gain.
“They want to use me like Deebo Samuel,” Miller told Rivals about his potential fit. Texas A&M, “Put me in that position; I love hearing that. That’s where I love to compete. Just get me the ball.”
Miller starts running back after the catch. As a junior he averaged over 23 yards per reception and is as dangerous as they come in the open field. Miller scored 25 touchdowns playing all three phases, averaging nearly a first down every time he carried the football.
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Micah Hudson – Garrett Wilson
Smooth is a word that easily describes the play of the Five Star Hudson. He is an instinctive route runner who displays excellent spatial awareness and creates separation with ease. He has good chance to get off the line and run clean routes which helps him to be the quarterback’s best friend in the passing game.
Hudson resembles Garrett Wilson in the sense that they have very similar sizes at the same stage of development and both are big-play wideouts who are effective in quick, intermediate, and downfield games. Wilson was selected in the first round after acting Ohio State, Hudson has similar range and has one more season remaining at the prep level.
The five-star wideout has proven to be a big-play machine at Lake Belton and is virtually unplayable in man-to-man situations. He adds a dimension as a return man and ball carrier, which shows how dynamic a player he can be on the move.
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Colin Simmons – Micah Parsons
Simmons is a game-devastating pass rusher with the ability to wreck entire offensive game plans. It sounds a lot like Dallas Cowboys phenom Micah Parsons, who has established himself as one of the elite defenders in the NFL.
Simmons is a five-star recruit out of powerhouse Duncanville, Texas, where he has often been the best player on the field during his sophomore season in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Elite pass rusher got quarterback for 22.5 sacks as a junior.
Simmons truly displayed game-changing ability in the 6A Division I state championship game last December. He completely dominated the Galena Park North Shore offense as he remained in the backfield for long periods of the game. Simmons is explosive off the edge and a dynamic chess piece for any defensive coordinator.
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Kamarion Franklin – Chris Jones
Mississippi State has had no shortage of next-level defensive linemen over the years, highlighted by the likes of Chris Jones and Jeffery Simmons over the past decade. Five-star running back Kamrion Franklin is likely next in that pipeline.
Franklin is 6-foot-6 and weighs 255 pounds, and he passed the eye test with ease. He can play on the outside edge or slide inside on a 3-tech. Either way, Franklin is a real threat to pass to quarterback in any game. Evidenced by a school-record 19 sacks as a junior versus quality competition at the 5A level in northern Mississippi.
Franklin-to-Jones can’t be compared apples-to-apples, but they both had similar sized frames at the same point in the process and had the versatility to rush the passer across the defensive line. It remains to be seen if Franklin can reach the level Jones has so far, but I’m excited at what the five-star brings to the table.
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Salman Bridges – Tariq Woolen
Large and athletic corners are becoming more common at the NFL level. Tarik Woollen may be the biggest example of this, as the 6-foot-4 corner enjoyed a breakout rookie campaign in 2022 with the Seattle Seahawks.
The four-star Selman Bridge seems to fit that type of mold. A dual-sport athlete who also competes on the basketball court and track, Bridges is a tall cornerback with an exciting developmental ceiling. He weighs 6 feet 4 inches and 170 pounds and has long arms, which makes it easy to compare him to the former. utsa star.
Bridges has enough length and quickness to make it difficult for any receiver to create much separation against him. He can play outside corner, nickel or even at safety. During his junior campaign at Central Texas, Bridges broke up a half-dozen passes and made a few interceptions.
