Muskegon (MI) Muskegon OT Anthony Bradford (image via Twitter)
Using 247 Composite rankings, I’m doing a rundown of the top players in the state of Michigan for 2019. I posted about the #1-5 players last week (LINK). Here’s the next installment.
6. Anthony Bradford – OT – Muskegon (MI) Muskegon
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 320 lbs.
Notable offers: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State
Commitment: Uncommitted
247 Composite: 4-star, #23 OT, #236 overall
Analysis: Bradford’s own Hudl page lists him as 6’6″ and 344 lbs., along with a 5.24 forty, a 5.12 shuttle, a 28″ vertical, and a 365 lb. bench press. I’m guessing he’s closer to the 344 than the 320; he is a very large individual and someone who probably needs to reshape his body a little bit. He moves pretty well for a guy his size and has a good first step, though he will need to rework his stance a little bit in college, which may slow him down a little bit when he puts less weight on his hand. He’s a mauler and probably a right tackle, or maybe an offensive guard.
Hit the jump for #7-10.
7. Dwan Mathis – QB – Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 187 lbs.
Notable offers: Kentucky, Michigan State, Pitt
Commitment: Michigan State
247 Composite: 4-star, #6 dual-threat QB, #242 overall
Analysis: Mathis, who started off at Belleville before transferring to Oak Park, claims a 4.91 forty, a 4.34 shuttle, and a 30″ vertical. He has a great frame, and he’s a solid athlete. He’s more of a tall, long strider than a true quick-twitch guy, and he’s a straight-line runner without a ton of shake. He has adequate arm strength, but he struggles to put zip on the ball. He looks to me like a poor man’s Devin Gardner, though keep in mind that I liked Gardner a lot as a prospect and thought he was ruined by Brady Hoke.
8. Jaren Mangham – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 213 lbs.
Notable offers: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Michigan State, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M
Commitment: Uncommitted
247 Composite: 4-star, #23 ATH, #282 overall
Analysis: Mangham claims a 4.58 forty and a 4.32 shuttle. Listed as an “athlete,” Mangham could be a tailback, fullback, or linebacker in college. Cass Tech lines him up both as a tailback and fullback on offense, and he’s a bruising runner with some decent suddenness, a nice jump cut, and fair speed. Word is he fancies himself as a tailback, but I have seen a number of analysts peg him as a future linebacker. Personally, I think his best position might be as a fullback/H-back in the right offense.
9. Lance Dixon – LB – West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 205 lbs.
Notable offers: Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State
Commitment: Uncommitted
247 Composite: 4-star, #18 OLB, #286 overall
Analysis: Dixon is a lanky outside linebacker type who needs to bulk up. Right now he looks like a safety, though he doesn’t have the speed to play there in college. He tends to get overpowered playing on the inside, so he would probably be a Sam or Will outside linebacker. Dixon has pretty good play diagnosis skills and plus athleticism for a linebacker, so he should be a solid college player after some time in the weight room.
10. Michael Fletcher – DE – Flint (MI) Carman-Ainsworth
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 240 lbs.
Notable offers: Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin
Commitment: Uncommitted
247 Composite: 4-star, #28 SDE, #351 overall
Analysis: Fletcher claims a 4.72 forty and a 4.61 shuttle. In some respects, Fletcher might have the highest ceiling of anyone on this list. It’s not often that you find 6’6″ guys with long, lanky bodies who can run and be physical like him. While he does need to fill out physically, I think he has the ability to be a Taco Charlton-like player, and Charlton ended up as a first rounder. Also like Charlton coming out of high school, Fletcher is raw from a technique standpoint.
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Does Fletcher really punt? Or is he just running out of a super deep Wildcat because their center snaps moon shots?
I can’t imagine 27 SDEs I’d rather have coming out of high school than this kid. He can be very quick coming out of a 4 point stance regardless of size. Then throw in the frame and the speed … then some Mattison. He could be a very nice player for us.
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Fletcher looks like he could be made into a pretty good player with Brown and Mattison. The state seems really weak with skill players this year. Not one of the RBs or QBs look special in any way. Haven’t seen much written about WRs either. UM must know something about Bradford. He doesn’t seem to be getting too much interest from them.
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