After seeing a strong group of quarterbacks at the Los Angeles NFTC, the focus shifted east and solely on the quarterbacks this weekend at the Orlando Elite 11. The group overall was not as strong as what we saw a week earlier in California, but the Sunshine State event still featured some good prospects, including a handful of ESPN 300 candidates and some promising 2016 prospects. Here are the Recruiting Nation E11 Awards, highlighting the top performers:
Top Gun: It was a late arrival for Deondre Francois, but the Orlando-area QB made the most of his time at the event. Francois lacks ideal measurables but possesses some very good physical tools that were on display Friday. He has adequate size (6-foot, 182 pounds), but has a strong arm and proved capable of being able to make every throw on the field. He possesses an efficient, compact and smooth delivery and the ball seems to just pop out of his hand. A good athlete, he also showed the ability to make throws on the move with good zip and accuracy. One of the aspects of Francois’ performance that helped him to lead the pack among this group in our eyes was his consistency. From throw to throw and drill to drill, he seemed to adjust and perform consistently, displaying good mechanics and accuracy throughout. He struggled a little at times when he tried to press things. That could be seen at the end of the event, when he missed some throws he is very capable of making. While he still has work to do and room to improve, Francois put forth a strong performance.
Mr. Improvement: It was roughly a year ago when we saw De'Andre Johnson perform at the Orlando NFTC, and we came away from that event believing the Florida State verbal was a much better athlete than he was a quarterback. Fast-forward a year later and Johnson has shown good improvement, making strides as a dual-threat QB. The Jacksonville, Fla., native lacks ideal size and doesn’t possess great arm strength, but he can get rid of the ball quickly, and this time out he displayed better mechanics and accuracy. There is still room for growth, and as he needs to continue to strive for better consistency, but film and in this in-person evaluation, show more of an athletic QB than just a good athlete. We are eager to see the strides the ESPN Junior 300 prospect can continue to make as a senior.
Best is yet to come: An athletic quarterback with very good height, Dwayne Lawson displayed promising upside both physically and as a player. Still growing into his lengthy frame, the ESPN Junior 300 prospect from Tampa (Fla.) Hillsborough has room for improvement mechanically as he works to put all the pieces together, but he flashes some great physical tools. He possesses a strong arm and can drive the ball vertically, but also shows flashes of good accuracy and touch for a big-armed QB. Lawson needs to keep developing, but this is a big, athletic and talented QB prospect with a bright future.
Need to know: The focus might be on the 2015 class, but the E11 featured a 2016 quarterback to make a note about. Feleipe’ Franks is a promising prospect with a wealth of ability, and the Crawfordville (Fla.) Wakulla quarterback was one of the top performers, in our eyes at the event, regardless of class. Tall (6-5), with a long and lengthy frame to develop, he possesses very good physical upside. The rising junior displayed a strong arm, good accuracy and just threw a pretty ball. Evaluations still roll on for this 2015 class, but Franks showed he is a name to remember for 2016.