ATLANTA - The 2021 Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge drew some of the best prospects from around the country on one field. The wide receivers and tight ends were put to the test by some very talented defensive backs and linebackers, but Penn State commit Kaden Saunders, a Rivals100 prospect from Ohio, came away with the MVP ring.
Here are the top five receivers/tight ends from the Five-Star Challenge.
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FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE COVERAGE: The QB Report | The RB Report | Gorney's thoughts | Teams with the top commits | Analysis from Atlanta | MVP spotlight | WR vs. DB Part 2 | WR vs. DB Part 1 | OL vs. DL | RB vs. LB | Sherrod Covil commits to Clemson during Five-Star Challenge | The Gorney Awards | Rumor Mill
UNDERCLASSMEN CHALLENGE: Gorney Awards | MVP spotlight | Rumor Mill | Combine standouts | OL vs. DL Part 1 | Analysis from Atlanta
FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE INTERVIEWS: Lebbeus Overton | Oscar Delp | Shawn Murphy | Cade Klubnik | Jaylen Sneed | Dante Moore | Beau Atkinson | Justin Williams | Jeadyn Lukus | Dillon Tatum | Tawfiq Thomas | Trent Ramsey | Cayden Green | Travis Hunter
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1. KADEN SANDERS
Saunders continued his dominant spring and summer with a stellar performance in Atlanta. Against a level of competition he had not faced before, it really didn't look like the Penn State commit was having any trouble. Saunders is as explosive as they come at the receiver position and he can outrun almost any defender he comes across, but he can also win with route-running technique.
He does a great job exploding out of his cuts and has some very advanced moves that can make a defender take a false step. Saunders showed that he could get open against smaller cornerbacks that relied on speed or bigger and more physical defensive backs, and he caught almost everything thrown his way.
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2. ISAIAH BOND
Bond had some really impressive moments, and it was not easy to go in another direction with the MVP award. Bond's speed is outstanding and he should be a major asset at the college level.
The Florida commit could outrun everybody on the field and he did earned the Fastest Man title belt. Bond has a big catch radius for his size. The finer points of Bond's game are still a bit raw, but his speed and playmaking ability will make him a major asset at the college level.
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3. OSCAR DELP
We already knew Delp was a really good receiving tight end, but we were able to see him play a little bit more physically this past week. The Rivals100 tight end made sure he wasn't knocked off his route by defenders while still making sure he was able to haul in the pass.
The linebacker group last Thursday featured more five-stars than any other position group, and Delp still had a ton of success. Keep an eye on Georgia, Florida, Clemson, Alabama and Michigan in his recruitment.
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4. MASON TAYLOR
An up-and-coming tight end, Taylor was a fantastic target for quarterbacks last week. He does a really good job getting off the line of scrimmage and he has very reliable hands. Linebackers had a difficult time sticking with him when he would make sharp cuts. Even when defenders were all over Taylor he had the strength to shake them off to grab the ball.
The 2023 four-star and son of NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor has a very bright future ahead of him, and many teams have offered him within the last few weeks.
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5. KEVIN THOMAS
Thomas was a big-time outside threat for the quarterbacks because he can really take the top off the defense and he has very long arms so he can win a lot of jump balls. Quarterbacks had a big target to throw to when he was able to make crisp cuts and he showed some physicality we had not seen from him previously.
He was able to fight off defenders that were trying to jam him or reach around him to knock down the pass multiple times. Thomas has a number of schools still involved with his recruitment, but it looks a lot like Michigan State and West Virginia are very serious contenders.
