[duncan_idaho]

Signing Day thoughts:

Best position Group:

Raymond Wingo and Logan Cheedle are probably the best duo of CBs signed in one class by Mizzou. Really like both of these guys. Good size/speed/skill combos. Finis Stribling IV has a cool name but is probably just program depth.

The real keys to the secondary class come in amongst the projected safeties, where Tavon Ross, Greg Taylor and Thomas Wilson provide probably the best safety class Mizzou has signed. Ross and Taylor have the size/speed combos you want to see out of SEC safeties.

Runner-up: WRs
Nate Brown is a well-known guy who spurned late offers from Georgia and South Carolina to become a Tiger. He's a bigger, physical receiver who was thought to be too slow after working out at UGA camps... but when you watch his highlights - facing some of the best competition in the US - you see a WR who is never caught from behind. Plays for a traditional powerhouse program.

Lawrence Lee is an overlooked WR who has good speed and elusiveness and projects to the slot. Also plays HS ball for a strong traditional program.

Signing Day flip DeShaun Blair is also a big receiver and looks to have the elusive deep speed you often get from tall guys with long strides. Nice hands and fluid athlete.

Thomas Richard is a good all-around athlete who is close friends with Nate Brown. Also a very productive HS receiver.

Darnell Green (who apparently does not have Beckham legally attached to the end of his name) is a major project. If he fully recovers from his chemo and fully regains his strength and speed, DGB's little brother could end up being a MAJOR diamond, a 6-5 WR with deep speed and great leaping ability.

Offensive line
St. Louis' Andy Bauer (guard who likely cracks the early two deep) and Tennessee's Paul Adams headline a deep group that has quantity, if not star quality. Always a tough position to project, it's nice to see them taking a deep class at OL. Given Pinkel's track record, it's likely that one of Sam Bailey (2-star, Lamar, MO), Michael Fairchild (2-star, Blue Valley West) or Kevin Pendleton (3-star, Lee's Summit West) is a solid OL starter for Mizzou at some point. My early money is on Bailey.

Best of the rest

Brandon Lee is a very nice LB prospect who was highly recruited and could become a sideline-to-sideline monster. Good size and speed.

DE Rocel McWilliams got late interest from Florida and was an early (he committed at the 2013 spring game) offer/commit by this staff. He might play early for Mizzou out of necessity, but he does have quality size (6-4/240) already.

DE Spencer Williams was another late flip. He's got that rangy 6-5/6-5 frame the Tiger coaches seem to target so frequently, and pairs it with pretty good athleticism and first step, from what tape is available. Mizzou jumped in on him over Vincent Jackson and Sharieff Rhaheed, two more highly recruited DE types.

RBs
Mizzou's earliest commitment was from St. Louis's Markel Smith, who wavered, decommitted, and ending up settling for a lesser offer. In his place, the Tigers take two guys who fit their system, Trevon Walters and Ish Witter. Witter is a Russell Hansbrough clone. Walters is more of a complete back whose role in the offense will likely be more like a traditional RB than a scatback.

Leftovers
There are 7 more signees. They include QB Marvin Zanders (who seems destined to flip to the defesnive side of the ball, either at LB or S), a project TE in Blue Springs' Kendall Blanton, some project athletes (DE/LB/TE Grant Jones, WR/S Keyon Dilosa, DE Walter Brady, LB Rod Winters.

Final thoughts
I like the aggressiveness in signing a big class and hope it is a sign of things to come. Diamond-in-the-rough hopefuls like Grant Jones, Walter Brady, Rod Winters, Sam Bailey are much easier to take a risk on when they are signees 25-28 rather than 15-18.

I think this class does have two very painful "guys who got away" in St. Louis OT Brian Wallace (arkansas) and Michigan DE Jhonny Williams (Notre Dame). With Williams, his family issues made him a tough keep once nearly-hometown Notre Dame got involved. He's a freak athlete who could explode in college with proper development. Wallace was a Mizzou lean for a long-time, but a final visit to Arkansas swayed him to Fayetteville. Another tough loss, as Wallace had offers from everywhere and could have helped anchor a dominating OL class for Mizzou.

Look ahead

So what's next? 2015 is a key recruiting year. Some top targets:

DE Terry Beckner (East St. Louis). national-level recruit, likely a 5 star/top 50 player on every service. Likes Mizzou (and there are rumors he could be a junior day commit, which would be incredible)

RB Naterace Strong (East St. Louis). Top 250-type. Big-time athlete with good size.

DT Carlos Davis (Blue Springs). DT Khalil Davis (Blue Springs). These twins are also top 250-type talents. Great combo of size/speed/strength, and have been well-coached in Blue Springs pipeline. Nebraska looks to be biggest comp for them (though recent rumors of them committing after a visit up there thankfully have proven false, at least so far).

QB Drew Lock (Lee's Summit). Likely a top 100-250 recruit. Stud two-sport star (very high quality 2-guard prospect in basketball) with strong Mizzou family ties. Good ties to coaching staff.

TE Hale Hentges (Helias/Jeff City). Likely a top 100-250 recruit.Some view him as a DE. Probably the toughest in-state pull next year.

WR Alex Ofodile (Columbia Rock Bridge). Likely a top 100 recruit.AJ's son is a high-level athlete who is getting a ton of attention.