What Do Cal Commits Shaq Thompson, Ellis McCarthy & Jordan Payton Bring to Bears

So now that it's official, Cal has landed Shaq Thompson, Jordan Payton and Ellis McCarthy. All three are among the top 100 players in the country and Cal is doing it B.I.G.

What do they bring to Berkeley? Who exactly are these guys? Well, I'm going to give you a break down of each of he three studs and let you know what they will do at Cal.

Stanford is going to hate this piece.

Ellis McCarthy Scouting Report

Ellis McCarthy may be the best DL and defensive player on the West Coast. He's a 6'5", 310 lb. DT with an amazing looking frame.

He shows great snap quickness off the ball, can skinny through doubles and play on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. His wreaks havoc in the middle is a testament to his awesome play strength.

McCarthy can drop, sit and anchor in the middle and plug gaps with his size and power.

Whenever McCarthy plays with leverage and a low pad level, he's virtually un-blockable. His snap quickness is the key to his pass rush, as he's a menace to QBs from the middle.

Projection: Early career starter, All-Pac-12 DT

Jordan Payton Scouting Report

At 6'2", 200 pounds with 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, Jordan Payton comes from the same school of Oaks Christian (CA) that produced current Trojans Marc Tyler and Marshall Jones, along with other college football stars like Jimmy Clausen and Duke Lemmens.

Coming into his senior season, Payton had over 33 scores over the past two years and has done it all against top high school competition. Oaks Christian is a powerhouse program that routinely schedules against other elite LA area and West Coast high school programs.

Payton has excellent hands, natural ball skills, is a solid route runner and is strong vs. press coverage. He may not have blazing speed, but he should be fine.

Projection: Solid WR, possible All-Pac-12 selection

Shaq Thompson Scouting Report

Shaq Thompson is a 6'2", 210-pounder that will line up at safety for the Bears, although he could get a look as a running back. Thompson has very good play speed and athleticism to combine with solid instincts on the back end.

He has a solid, quick back pedal and is reliable to read and react vs. the run. He flashes a willingness to plug holes vs. ball carriers and can be very effective in the box as an extra defender. Thompson has very good range and is not looked off easily. He's quick to decipher route combos and has leaping ability and ball skills to high point interceptions.

Thompson is also known as a big, bone crushing hitter.

Although he has the ability to play corner in a pinch, Thompson is better at playing off-man than he is at press-man. He just lacks the upper body strength and quick strike ability to re-route receivers effectively in his jam. This is likely the only glaring flaw in his game at the moment.

Projection: Early career starter, future All-American