Under Armour All-American Nathan Pickering has committed to Mississippi State and, at 62nd overall, is the program's top-rated 2019 recruit. Read below to see how the Bulldogs can maximize the upside of this ESPN 300 defensive lineman:
What he brings: Pickering is a talented, versatile defensive line prospect whose best football is very much still ahead of him. The four-star possesses a frame with good length and room for further development. He can be a bit inconsistent but is capable of firing off the ball with a quick first step. He has the size and strength to take on blockers and hold his ground and press and shed blockers. He can be a factor in pursuit with good range for his size. With continued development, his blend of size, quickness and strength can allow him to become a disruptive pass-rusher as well.
How he fits: This is a key in-state keep for the Bulldogs, as Pickering has established himself among the top defensive line prospects in this class. The Bulldogs head into this season with a deep group of defensive linemen, but many of them will be in their senior or junior seasons, so Pickering should be not only a welcome but needed addition when he arrives. He brings some excellent raw physical tools. He will need some development, but many of the areas he needs to improve -- like hand usage -- are correctable. Physically, he is capable of coming in and contributing to the Bulldogs' D-line rotation with the ability to grow into a key member of that unit. With his size and upside, he can move around new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop's base four-man front to find and exploit matchups. He will likely grow into a productive and disruptive DT.
Reminds us of: The new Mississippi State commit reminds us a bit of current Bulldogs' defender Jeffery Simmons. An ESPN 300 prospect himself, Simmons possessed a nice blend of size, strength and explosiveness with a lot of upside coming out o high school. From an ability and ceiling-for-development standpoint, Pickering brings similar physical tools.
How the class is shaping up: The Bulldogs are surging under coach Joe Moorhead, with a number of big wins on the trail. ESPN 300 safety prospect Jarrian Jones was huge flip from Oklahoma, while ESPN 300 defensive tackle Charles Moore has remained on the commit list through the coaching change. Pickering is a big and more recent in-state pickup on the defensive line. The quarterback in the class is ESPN 300 Garrett Shrader, who was a big win out of North Carolina. Joining Shrader on the commit list from out of state is ESPN 300 defensive end Ani Izuchukwu, ESPN 300 wide receiver Quinton Torbor out of the Pelican State and four-star offensive lineman Darius Washington out of Florida. Junior college offensive tackle Montravious Richardson is expected to compete right away for a starting spot.