Rivals Rankings Week: Updated Rivals250 revealed

It's Rivals Rankings Week for the 2020 class and today we reveal the updated Rivals250. Our analysts discuss some of the decisions they faced in this latest update.

RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK:

Monday: Top 10 revealed

Tuesday: Rivals100 revealed | Mind of Mike | New five-stars

Wednesday: Rivals250 revealed

Thursday-Friday: Updated position rankings

Saturday: Team rankings analysis

Sunday: Updated state rankings

Rob Cassidy (Southeast): I led the charge to make Demarckus Bowman a five-star and his track record is starting to speak for itself. Still, I think we’re the first recruiting site to make the move. If Bowman continues his current trajectory, he’s going to be even more special as a senior. He runs with incredible power for a prospect of his limited height and, as a junior, showcased enough speed to run away from a few highly touted defenses in Florida’s second-largest classification.

Mike Farrell (National): DT Timothy Smith from Florida is a guy I like a lot and will continue to rise in the rankings. Big, athletic defensive tackles are hard to come by and he will get better as he improves his conditioning and works on his technique a bit more.

Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): I really liked what I've seen out of offensive tackle Jimmy Christ. His new film came out about a month ago and he has shown a lot of progress. Christ is an excellent athlete for a player of his size. I'm excited to see him this spring and get a better look at where he is from a technical perspective.

Adam Gorney (West Coast/National): Noah Sewell moved from a high three-star linebacker in the early rankings to No. 66 overall, a huge jump, but a completely justified one after seeing him at the National Combine in San Antonio and then again this past weekend at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas in Southern California. Sewell moves so incredibly well for someone his size at 268 pounds and he's a downhill thumper who plays physically. It's incredible to see Sewell move in space as well because he can cover as well as any linebacker in the West, if not the country.

Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): I was a big fan of what I saw from Noah Sewell at the All-American Bowl Combine. For a 260-pound kid to play that well in space with the kind of athleticism and quickness he showed, I was strongly in favor of his move into the Rivals100.

Chad Simmons (Southeast): Jordan Burch is a new five-star and I really like the defensive end out of South Carolina. His film is impressive and after seeing him compete at the Future 50 in January, he was one I pushed for. I love his toughness and his ability to rush the passer and play the run.

Sam Spiegelman (Texas): Chris Thompson Jr. -- no question. He went from unranked to inside the top half of the updated Rivals100. The four-star safety is right on the cusp of being a five-star, and he could continue to ascend as we see him up close and tested against other elite competition. Thompson reminded me of another Dallas-area prospect, Jamal Adams, the way he drops pass-catchers and the amount of ground he covers. He’s an enforcer in both the run and passing games, and someone I felt confident giving a high mark.

Rob Cassidy (Southeast): I want to see what Drew Pyne does as a senior. He’s a fine football player and is certainly a major FBS talent, but his lack of size and just slightly above-average arm strength worries me a bit. I see him as more of a Rivals250 player, which is hardly an insult. He’s definitely an elite prospect. There’s no arguing that, but I have my doubts about whether or not he’s better than a few of the prospects listed below him.

Mike Farrell (National): OL Luke Wypler from New Jersey might be ranked a bit too high. He's a tough and physical kid and plays for a good school, but I worry about his feet and overall athleticism after seeing him in January.

Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): I've seen Darian Green-Warren a couple times now. I really like his size and skill set, but receivers are able to create a good amount of separation with him and he's not able to make a ton of plays on the ball. The Oklahoma commit is a good player, but inside the top 125 is a bit high.

Adam Gorney (West Coast/National): After seeing Elias Ricks and Kelee Ringo through their junior seasons and again in recent weeks, they are clearly the top two cornerbacks in the class but then there seems to be a significant drop-off to fellow five-star Fred Davis. Davis is a highly-talented kid and a playmaker at cornerback but he needs help with his footwork and there will be other high-end four-stars pushing him. I wouldn't be completely stunned if other corners emerge through this recruiting cycle and contend for that No. 3 spot.

Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): When we turned on the junior film of Indiana’s No. 1 overall player in the 2020 class, Cole Brevard, there was not the level of progression we had hoped to see. If last off-season is any indication, we likely won’t see him again until next fall and there are some questions we would like to get answered with his development and upside.

Chad Simmons (Southeast): McKinnley Jackson is someone I want to see play at a high level more consistently. He plays defensive tackle, a premium position, so doing what he does at that position plays a role in his ranking. He does flash the five-star ability, but being more consistent will be something we watch closely this spring and during his senior season.

Sam Spiegelman (Texas): Logan Parr currently ranks No. 144, and he could certainly live up to the hype down the road. While evaluating the four-star offensive lineman, who’s ranked as a tackle, I viewed him more as a guard, which organically depreciates his value. Parr possesses a ton of raw power and is an outstanding run-blocker. He’s athletic, but will need to hone his technique. He could turn out to be a solid guard in the Big 12, but he remained in the Rivals250 largely because of that untapped potential.

Rob Cassidy (Southeast): It sounds ridiculous to say Kelee Ringo is underrated, seeing as he’s a five-star prospect and the No. 9 player in the Rivals100. Alas, here we are. My point of contention is with the fact that Ringo isn’t the top cornerback in our rankings. It’s definitely splitting hairs, but I’ll take the bigger, faster Ringo over current No. 1 Elias Ricks all day. That’s no knock on Ricks, who is an incredibly special player in his own right. It’s just that I see Ringo as a legitimate can’t-miss prospect and the top corner in America.

Mike Farrell (National): Running back Sam Adams has good size and he can run so he might be a little underranked right now, probably because he doesn't play great competition in Washington.

Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): I really like the talent in this 2020 class so there are a lot of players I could list here. I'll go with running back Bijan Robinson after seeing him over the weekend at the Los Angeles Rivals 3 Stripe Camp. His film is outstanding and he was equally impressive in person. Robinson is a big, strong, athletic and versatile back at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, and he moves with the suddenness of a much smaller back.

Adam Gorney (West Coast/National): Four-star receiver Jermaine Burton had just as many catches (40) as Johnny Wilson at Calabasas, Calif., this past season. He had four more touchdown catches than Wilson and two more than teammate Mycah Pittman, the Oregon signee who finished No. 113 overall in the 2019 class. The four-star had just as many catches as four-star WR Gary Bryant from Corona (Calif.) Centennial and three more TDs yet not as many yards. Wilson is a five-star, Bryant is ranked No. 10 at the position nationally and Burton is No. 12. There's definitely an argument to give him a bump heading into the summer if he delivers on the field.

Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): Jaquelin Roy out of Baton Rouge only got a small bump in this update, but I could have seen him moving even higher, possibly into the Rivals100. He was one of the standouts in a deep defensive line group at the All-American Bowl.

Chad Simmons (Southeast): Alabama running back commit Roydell Williams is one we want to see more of this spring and summer. He is a productive back, he runs hard and he is built to play in the SEC. He has been putting up big numbers throughout his high school career and he is one that may end up higher down the road.

Sam Spiegelman (Texas): Some of the biggest droppers that stung were Jacobian Guillory and Dwight McGlothern. Guillory was inside the Rivals100, but fell out. Guillory has brute strength and is a force in the middle of the defensive line, and his upside is through the roof, which is something that has to be taken into account. I could easily have argued him to be ranked inside the Rivals100. McGlothern is among the best defensive backs in the country. His forte is coverage and he is one of the more reliable defensive backs in the country. He could easily rise in the next rankings update.