College Football Recruiting 2012: The Top Uncommitted Recruit at Every Position

When you watch the NFL draft, at the bottom of the screen, you always see "best available." It's always a helpful tool, as it shows you who are the top players still left out there.

Well, for this read, we're going to do the same thing, but we're going to list it by top uncommitted players at each position.

Who's the top player left at a crucial position of need for your favorite team? Come inside to find out.

CB: Geno Smith

Smith is a lanky 6'0", 165-pound CB with good cover skills. He's a 4-star recruit per Scout.com and has offers from major powers like Auburn and Alabama, among others.

I like his length and athleticism to be an effective perimeter defender. He'll need to add some more weight and strength to enhance his jam at the line of scrimmage, but Smith has the talent of a future starter. 

CB: Tracy Howard

Howard is pretty physical at the line of scrimmage, showing a strong willingness to press and jam to disrupt the WR's timing and release. He's a 6'0", 175-pound athlete that could be able to play the boundary and field in college.

Florida is a school to look out for, but there's also Alabama, FSU, Georgia, LSU and Miami among a few more.

DS: Shaquille Thompson

At 6'2", 200 pounds, Thompson is the top safety prospect in the country. I'm still not sure if he's as good as Karlos Williams, but Thompson is still a great one.

He can play both strong and free safety, has good range, athletic ability and can lay the wood on a ball carrier. California is in the mix, along with Washington, UCLA and Notre Dame to name a few more.

DS: LaDarrell McNeil

McNeil is one of the hardest hitters in the country bar none. This kid lays people out and seems to take pride in doing so. 

He's a 6'2", 190-pound safety that I think is best suited for the strong safety role. He flashes some range in coverage, but he's solid around the box and in pursuit. Oklahoma State seems to be a prime player, but don't count out TCU, Notre Dame or A&M

DB/LB: Landon Collins

I had to make up a role for Collins to be on this list because he's too good to leave off it. He won MVP honors a few weeks ago at Nike's "The Opening" and is a hot name on the trail right now.

He's a 6'0", 210-pound SS/rover type that can factor as a safety or OLB. He's instinctive, very athletic, tough, a huge hitter and plays with great vision.

Alabama and LSU seem to be the top two teams.

LB: Eli Harold

Harold is another hybrid player, as he can play OLB and DE. He could see himself as a stand-up pass-rusher in college sub packages.

At 6'3", 215 pounds, he's explosive on the defensive flanks, reads and reacts quickly and can get after your passer like nobody's business. He's down to Virginia, Penn State and Florida.

LB: Kwon Alexander

You can argue with me that Alexander is the best defensive player in the nation, and I really wouldn't disagree with you at all. I love him as a prospect.

He's a 6'2", 210-pound OLB that has gaudy range, play speed, instincts, ball-locate vision, quickness, good change of direction and blitzing ability. I still think he's a better blitzer than pass-rusher, but he has the whole country after him.

His top 10 are both schools in Alabama, both Florida schools, Miami, USC, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma and Ole Miss. 

DE: Noah Spence

Spence is regarded as the top pass-rusher in the country. He's a 6'4", 240-pound long DE prospect with a super quick first step and excellent athleticism.

He shows a very good burst to close and finish on the QB and can hawk down a RB in pursuit versus the run. NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Penn State and a wealth more are after him.

DE: Darius Hamilton

Hamilton is a 6'4", 245-pounder that gets it done equally with strength and athletic ability. He's solid at the point of attack, sheds well, has some anchor strength and can plug the run from the edges.

He's a good pass-rusher that can convert speed to power and walk blockers back. Rutgers is the leader, but Florida, Cal, Oregon, Tennessee and Alabama are also in the mix.

DT: Eddie Goldman

Goldman has all the tools to be a special, special player in the interior of a defense. He's a 6'4", 305-pound force that has a great, versatile skill set for a defensive lineman.

He's strong at the point of attack, can toss and shed well, explodes out of his stance, can blow by a guard and anchors well to make a mess.

He has a top 15 of too many schools to name.

DT: Quay Evans

Explosive and strong. Oh, and big. That's what Evans is. He's a 6'2", 320-pounder that can jump on top of an offensive line at the snap, throw his heavy hands on their body, jolt 'em, toss 'em and play in the backfield.

He's a load on the inside and can make a mess of things. Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, USC, Oregon and a lot more are recruiting Evans.

OT: Andrus Peat

Peat is a premiere offensive tackle prospect. At 6'7", he's gained some girth and weight to bulk up at 300 pounds. He's a solid athlete, plays with good knee bend, mirror ability, slides well and can adjust.

He also has good second-level ability in the run game and is a solid cerebral player. Notre Dame, Michigan and Nebraska are just three major players, with Florida State, USC, Texas and a slew of more after him as well.

OT: D.J. Humphries

Humphries is the best athlete out of all the front players in the country, offensive or defensive. He's also one of the best athletes in the country regardless of position; he reminds me a bit of Tyron Smith.

At 6'6", 270 pounds, he's a sure LT prospect that can easily handle speed and quickness from rushers, and can work on the second level like he has an office there. 

In the end, I think he could wind up at Florida.

OG: Josh Garnett

Garnett has a skill set that can work as a guard or tackle. He did take some lumps in one-on-ones as a tackle at "The Opening," but was elite as a guard. A 6'5", 275-pounder, Garnett is an outstanding athlete for the position.

He works well in a short area, has quick feet and good strength. He's down to a top 10 that has schools like Notre Dame, Washington and Oklahoma, among more.

OG/OT: Zach Banner

Banner is listed as a tackle, but if he's to play on the edges, it probably will be at RT, as it sits now in my opinion. He has too much trouble with quickness and speed from the rush to man the LT spot consistently.

Still, the 6'9", 305-pounder is a good athlete, has great strength and is better when he's engaged. He has a top 10 with Notre Dame, Michigan, Washington and Florida State in it, among more.

OC: Matt Cochran

Cochran is listed as a center, but he could be a better guard. He's a 6'4", 340-pound offensive lineman that is extremely strong at the snap and at the point of attack.

He has good agility, snaps well and can play the pivot position in college if left there. Stanford, Cal, Washington, Utah and Alabama are the top five schools he likes.

TE: Kent Taylor

Taylor is a 6'5", 215-pound tight end that I think has the skill set of a "joker" type. He can be used as a tight end, wide receiver, slot receiver, fullback and H-back all over the football field.

He's got soft hands, can catch in a crowd, high-points the ball and is solid as a run-after-the-catch player.

Alabama, Penn State, LSU, Georgia and Florida.

WR: Jordan Payton

Payton was once a USC pledge, but as expected, he has opened things up. He's a 6'2", 200-pound WR with solid ability all across the board.

He shows solid release quickness, route-running, good hands and has been plenty productive versus solid competition. USC is still in it, but Cal, Michigan, Penn State, Florida, Notre Dame and Arizona State are in the mix strongly.

WR: Dorial Green-Beckham

DGB is the top player on my board, and the 6'6", 220-pound WR has 4.3 speed. He flashes the ceiling to develop into a complete WR as he has the explosion, strength, separation quickness and hands to succeed in college.

He could/should be a three-and-out player and Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas are the speculated front-runners. It's widely assumed Green-Beckham doesn't want to stray too far from Springfield, MO.

RB: Keith Marshall

At 5'11", 185 pounds, Marshall is a shifty speedster out of the backfield. He's a home run threat anytime he's on the field and can get to pay dirt in tight space.

He has quick feet, good vision, a burst to and through holes and great long speed. He's still looking at 14 schools, with Georgia and Notre Dame being two to watch out for, among a slew of others.

RB: Rushel Shell

Shell is a future early impact player, as he has college-ready size right now, standing at 5'11", 215 pounds. He's not just a big back, as he has excellent play speed, wiggle and quickness.

Shell also flashes solid hands out of the backfield in the passing game, and his size will allow him to develop and hold up in blitz pickup.

Auburn, Pitt, Ohio State, Penn State and Florida are just some of the schools that have offered Shell.

QB: Gunner Kiel

Kiel is viewed by most as the top QB prospect in this year's class. At 6'4", 200 pounds, he has a solid arm and is very accurate, but I love the fact that decision making is one of his strong points.

He sees the field well, has a good command of his prep team's offense and can attack all levels of a defense. Oklahoma, Michigan, Alabama and Indiana are in the mix.

QB: Jameis Winston

I had to put Winston on this list, as he's too good to leave off. He's a 6'4", 190 pound WB that is the dual threat signal caller in the country. Yet Winston can pick you apart from the pocket if you force him.

He's a super athlete, has a cannon for an arm, solid accuracy and all the physical and playmaking tools to be a top flight college starting QB. LSU, Alabama and FSU are three favorites.