Ohio State Commits Kyion Grayes, Caleb Burton Among SI All-American’s Top Wide Receivers

The Buckeyes placed two commitments among the nation’s top-rated wide receivers.

With the high school football season right around the corner, SI All-American will release watch lists throughout the month of July that effectively act as the network’s positional rankings for the 2022 recruiting cycle.

These watch lists precede the unveiling of the SI99 rankings, which will then rank the 99 best high school football senior regardless of position.

That said, it should come as no surprise that Ohio State placed a pair of wide receivers commits on the watch list in Chandler, Ariz, four-star Kyion Grayes and Austin (Texas) Lake Travis five-star Caleb Burton, who come in at No. 10 and No. 14 overall, respectively.

SI All-American Watch List: Top 10 Wide Receiver Recruits https://t.co/t8YALM4BbD

— SI All-American (@SIAllAmerican) July 16, 2021

The 6-foot-1 and 175-pound Grayes went from a relatively unknown prospect when he landed an offer from the Buckeyes to now widely regarded as one of the nation’s best at his position.

“There are other Ohio State commits with higher profiles and maybe a bit more explosiveness, but Grayes is the most advanced pass catcher in the class,” SI All-American director of recruiting John Garcia said. “Grayes is a bit of a short strider off the line, and that can mask the speed he does in fact possess. His route-running ability is advanced for his age and he’s a strong pass catcher.

“Grayes has a knack for finding openings in the defense and he has the speed to run away from man coverage. Despite being just 175 pounds he will compete for the ball over the middle and he can win the occasional contested throw. Grayes has clean hands and top-notch focus on the football in traffic. He’s a shift athlete, which adds to his route running skill and makes him effective with the ball in his hands.”

SI All-American Watch List: Wide Receivers 11-25 https://t.co/OLwlhJlYtp

— SI All-American (@SIAllAmerican) July 15, 2021

Burton’s placement is a bit of a surprise given his status as the nation’s fourth-best wide receiver, per the composite ratings, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that he missed most of his junior year with a knee injury.

“Burton lacks ideal size but he’s the perfect fit for the Ohio State offense,” Garcia said of the 6-foot-0 and 165-pounder. “He’s arguably the nation’s best route runner thanks to his quick burst off the line, ability to accelerate out of breaks and his elite feel for the game.

“Burton has top-notch ball skills, possessing fast, strong and confident hands. Despite the smaller stature, Burton shows the ability to win contested throws against high school players, and while he isn’t the most dynamic athlete, he can make plays in space from the outside and the slot.”

It’s worth noting SI All-American is set to release its rankings for the slot receiver position on July 19. Expect Ohio State’s two other wide receiver pledges – Chicago St. Rita four-star Kaleb Brown and Suwanee (Ga.) Lambert four-star Kojo Antwi – to make that list instead.

Ohio State commits on SI All-American’s watch lists thus far include:

• Southlake (Texas) Carroll quarterback Quinn Ewers - QB2

• Jacksonville Robert E. Lee cornerback Jaheim Singletary - CB2

• West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West cornerback Jyaire Brown - CB17

• Little Elm, Texas, four-star cornerback Terrance Brooks - NC1

Other positional rankings to be revealed this month include safety later today, tight end on July 18, defensive end on July 20-21, running back on July 22-23, linebacker on July 24-25, defensive tackle on July 26-27, offensive tackle on July 28-29 and interior offensive line on July 30.

The full SI99 will be unveiled on Aug. 2, meanwhile.

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