The 10 Best Athletes of the 2011 College Football Recruiting Class

Athletes that play multiple positions in high school and have the versatility, size, and skill to translate those skills to the college level are always interesting prospects.

Depending on who you ask or which coach gets their hands on one of these recruits, they could end up playing any number of positions. Athletes fall into a gray area and can be groomed into whichever position seems to suit them the most.

The difficulty is finding out what the best position and situation is for these guys because they generally are among the most athletically-gifted players out there with a ton of potential.

Take a look at the top 10 athletes from the 2011 recruiting class:

10. Odell Beckham Jr., ATH / New Orleans, LA

Beckham is a great two-way player who has the skill set to succeed as either a wide receiver or a cornerback. He was one of the top performers at the Badger Sport/New Level Athletics 7on7 Tournament, and impressed scouts with his ability on both ends of the field.

If he had to chose, Beckham would prefer to catch passes than defend them, but he's willing to try both positions and see which one suits him better as he becomes more comfortable at the next level.

At 5'10" and 165 lbs, he could be very successful as a burner or slot receiver, but also has great hip movement and makes solid lateral adjustments, which is ideal for a cover corner.

There's some debate about how good of a prospect he is though. Rivals has him as the 63th ranked prospect in the country, while Scout ranks him as the 66th ranked wide receiver.

It looks like LSU is the team to beat for his services, but Beckham listed Miami and Oregon as his other top choices.

9. Quandre Diggs, ATH / Angleton, TX

Diggs is an exceptional athlete with lights out speed. He runs like a track star, and has some of the best acceleration of any prospect of the 2011 class.

He plays quarterback, running back, receiver, and cornerback, but based on his size and skill set, lining up as a scat back, wideout or corner is the most likely scenario.

At 5'10" and 188 lbs, he's undersized for a QB and would probably need the most work to make the transition to college at this position. He has such high agility and lateral skills that cornerback is where he'd likely find the most success.

Rivals ranks him as the 50th prospect of the class, and Scout has him ranked as the 5th best corner.

He's also a very dangerous return man, which will get this Texas commit on the field in a hurry.

8. Damian Swann, ATH / Atlanta, GA

Swann plays receiver and safety, with some time at cornerback as well, but he projects as a defensive player at the next level. His athleticism is off the charts, and there is potential for him to develop into a truly special talent, but he needs to work on his technique to be successful.

His footwork and coverage reads are still very raw, but if he can polish them off a bit, Swann could make an excellent cover corner.

Most of his time on defense in high school as been spent at safety, but based on his size, 6'1", and speed, he has the unique blend of talent that could make him a very difficult matchup for most receivers.

Rivals has him ranked as the 48th best prospect in the country, and Scout ranks him as the 7th best cornerback.

Right now it's pretty much down to Alabama and Georgia, with the Tide appearing to be his preference due to his affinity for coach Nick Saban.

7. LaDarius Brown, ATH / Waxahachie, TX

Brown projects as either a safety or a wide receiver, with a lot of potential at either position. He's a great athlete that moves exceptionally well for his size, 6'2" and 190 lbs.

Most schools are recruiting him as a safety, but depending on where he lands that could change once they see him start catching balls. His ypc from his sophomore and junior year were an eye-popping 31.8 and 26.1, respectively, with 16 combined touchdowns.

That ability could translate into excellent production as a free safety playing center field in college, but he needs to work on his strength in order to handle the punishment that comes with that role.

Rivals ranks him as the 43rd prospect in the nation, and Scout lists him as the 11th best safety of the 2011 class.

Brown grew up a UT fan, but says he's leaning toward Texas A&M at the moment.

6. Devon Blackmon, ATH / Fontana, CA

Blackmon is a track star who has only recently begun using his athletic ability on the football field. He is one of the fastest players in the 2011 class and is described as a "get the ball in his hands" type of player.

Some schools are recruiting him as a receiver, others want him to combo as a receiver, back and wildcat quarterback. No matter where he lines up, he's a burner who uses his speed to make big plays on the regular.

He'll make the quickest impact as a return man, where he's shown great natural ability and nearly unmatched speed. There really aren't many high school players who stand a chance of stopping this kid if he gets loose.

Raw athletes like this usually get differing grades, and that's reflected in the difference of opinion between Rivals and Scout, who rank him 41st overall and 30th among receivers, respectively.

He's being heavily recruited right now and his favorites are USC and UCLA, but Cal and Oregon are also strong possibilities.

5. Sammy Watkins, ATH / Fort Myers, FL

Watkins is the type of player that appears to effortlessly glide through the game at the high school level. He's a terrific wide receiver who has also shown some serious potential as a safety as well.

He has some of the best hands in the country and great breakaway speed that kicks into overdrive once he gets into open space. At 6'1", he's an ideal red zone target who has big play highlight catch written all over him.

Depending on where he ends up, his rare skill set could be used to turn him into a premier safety as well, but receiver seems to be where he'll be most comfortable.

Rivals ranks him as the 39th prospect in the country, and Scout lists him as the No. 3 receiver.

He's got a few different offers but UM, FSU, Auburn, and North Carolina are pursuing him the hardest.

4. Karlos Williams, ATH / Davenport, FL

Karlos Williams is a huge prospect that has a great build for either a safety or linebacker. He's one of the best athletes in the class, and is one of the hardest hitting players in the country.

He can really put a licking on opposing receivers and backs, which lines him up as a great candidate to play strong safety. He seems to lack the back-pedaling and quickness of a corner or free safety, but with some work it could be done.

Based on his strength, speed, and cover skills, Williams may end up playing outside linebacker, dropping back or blitzing in third down situations.

Rivals ranks him as the 37th best prospect in the country, and Scout has him as the 8th safety of the 2011 class.

A longtime FSU commit, Williams has the potential to be a phenomenal player at the next level as long as he can work out some basic technical issues.

3. Hasean Clinton-Dix, ATH / Orlando, FL

Clinton-Dix is an elite prospect who really has an ideal skill set for a safety. There's almost nothing about his game not to like, except for some minor footwork issues.

He's very physical and has great natural instincts, which lead to a lot of big hits and turnovers. His coverage skills are about as good as any defensive prospect in the class, but he's also very good in run support as well.

Clinton-Dix is the type of player that craves contact, and really could succeed as either a strong safety or free safety. Based on his size, 6'2" and 190 lbs, if he can define his man-to-man coverage skills a bit, he could develop into a once in a lifetime-type cover corner.

Rivals has him as the 28th ranked recruit in the nation, and Scout lists him as their top safety prospect.

He committed to Alabama in April, and there really isn't anyone better than Nick Saban to figure out exactly what to do with a defensive back prospect.

2. Kris Frost, ATH / Matthews, NC

Frost is a difficult prospect to gauge because of his size, 6'3" and 210 lbs. He's played primarily as a linebacker in high school, but has shown solid coverage skills and could be a good candidate to switch over to safety at the next level.

He's a turnover machine who has a knack for big plays and big hits, but might not have the coverage skills and instincts to make it work at the position. On that same note, he needs to bulk up a significant amount to be able to have similar production on the college level.

The athleticism can't be denied though, nor can his natural talent and propensity for simply making things happen.

Rivals ranks him 27th nationally, but Scout ranks him 30th among linebackers.

He's being recruited by several big name schools, but based on his recent comments, he seems very excited about the possibility of playing for Auburn.

1. James Wilder, Jr., ATH / Tampa, FL

Wilder, Jr. is one of most athletically-gifted and sought after prospects in the country. He has off the charts strength, and, pound for pound, is probably the strongest prospect in the country.

He's a two-way player who projects as a running back, linebacker or defensive end. He's a leader on and off the field and plays hard every down.

Wilder seems best suited to play defense, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him become a top-notch running back at the next level. He's a ball hawk with great instincts, and could do a lot of damage as a pass rushing outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid.

Rivals lists him as the 3rd best prospect in the country, and Scout is calling him No. 1 outside linebacker in 2011.

Florida, FSU, Miami, Georgia, and USC highlight the long list of teams that have already made offers.