SI All-American Candidate Lyrik Rawls Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Lyrik Rawls
Projected Position: Free Safety
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds
School: Marshall (Texas)
Schools of Interest: SMU, Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, Indiana, Ole Miss, TCU, Southern Miss, Missouri, Mississippi State and Oklahoma State, among others.
Frame: Tall and long. Adequate width across upper body. High, narrow waist. Slender, tightly-wound lower half. Ample room for additional mass and muscle.
Athleticism: Sudden. Pops in and out of breaks. Impressive burst, though long speed merely above-average. Impressive ability to sustain speed through cuts. Plays with more power than frame suggests. Arrives with power as tackler. Good hands.
Instincts: Fires out of backpedal with haste. Reads quarterback’s eyes and guard keys from defensive backfield before committing. Willing and aggressive run defender. Lowers shoulder for big, well-timed hits in secondary.
Polish: Instinctive when manning deep center field. Clear understanding of responsibilities. Fluid backpedaler, but could increase hip and ankle flexibility. One-on-one coverage ability largely unknown.
Bottom Line: Rawls has the length, sudden speed and awareness that defenses covet in free safety prospects. Could potentially play offense, where he shows promise as route runner. Ceiling is highest at free safety, where he has potential as multi-year starter.