College Football Recruiting 2013: Ranking the Top 10 Run Stuffers

Recently we've been giving you various superlative lists for the 2013 class. Whether we've done the top-10 QB Gunslingers, offensive speed demons, pure pass protectors and pure pass rushers, there's more to this class than just top-prospect lists.

Today we're going to continue in that direction and give you another list. This list will be of the top-10 run stuffers. Stopping the run continues to be imperative to a defense and these 10 defenders are the best at it in the country.

Let's see who they are!

10. Matt Rolin, LB

Rolin is one tough customer. He doesn't back down from anybody in a run alley and has good strength. You can play him at DE, OLB and ILB and he'll plug the run all day.

Rolin relishes contact, has a quick step to insert himself around the box, plays big at the point of attack and is rock-solid to plant on his spot and not be dug out by blockers.

He's committed to South Carolina and will aid their run defense with great impact. 

9. Antonio Conner, S

Conner is one of the best open-field tacklers in the country. He's from Mississippi and really will step on the gas from the back-end to crash down and squeeze on the run.

He goes in the 6'2", 200-pound range, reads runs quickly and flies up thanks to great speed.

He is a more-than-willing hitter. Conner can really plug the rushing attack on the offense on the flanks and will act as a fourth 'backer at times.

8. E.J. Levenberry, LB

The knock on Levenberry is that he's a bit tight in the hips and unproductive in space. Well, when you're talking run stuffing, he has no knocks.

From Virginia, he's a 6'2", 230-pound 'backer that will plug holes all day on the field. Levenberry is a monster at the point of attack, can stop and stack with strength, and can shed and play big in an alley.

He finds the ball well guard-to-guard and his thick frame and strength work wonders for a defense combating the run. He's headed to Florida State. 

7. Montravius Adams, DT

Adams is a quick get-off guy that really works each snap to make TFLs against the run. He's sharp at the snap, will fire out with leverage and has good hand quickness.

Adams can slip gaps and make stops in the backfield or hawk a runner down laterally behind the line of scrimmage. His quickness, ability to flat-back and strong ability to read schemes quickly make him a stout run defender.

6. Carl Lawson, DE

Lawson is an explosive 6'2" DE that is a thick 255 pounds. He is very keen to anchor down to combat the run with good strength and a quick scheme-read ability.

Lawson has quick-shed ability and strength to escape blockers, free himself up and make a stop. His speed and quickness also allow him to pursue, chase and hawk backside. 

He's committed to Auburn, where he should grow into a complete DE. 

5. Caleb Brantley, DT

Brantley is trying to play this season under 300 pounds because the 6'2" DT wants to make sure he's in great shape to get quicker.

The Florida native and commit has a very quick burst off the ball, and he's also very strong to hold his own. In fact, Brantley can 2-gap as well—he has good strength to stop, stack and anchor. He also has the athleticism to shed and make a stop in a short area.

Run at him straight on if you want; he'll quickly read what you're trying to do, shed his blocker and wrap up. 

4. Robert Nkemdiche, DE

Nkemdiche is a great run defender thanks to his rare blend of size, speed and power. He's a warrior in the trenches and has a high competitiveness rate.

At 6'4", 270 pounds, Nkemdiche can power through blocks, shed, free himself up from trash and traffic and go make the tackle. He has good range to make stops against the run and his strength can overwhelm anyone he comes in contact with.

He's committed to Clemson. 

3. Greg Webb, DT

Recently de-committed from Penn State and now a Tar Heel, the New Jersey native Webb is one of the top run stuffers in the country.

He's not tall as some other DLs are, as he's about 6'2" on a good day, but he's a big 300 pounds and has excellent strength. Webb has solid snap quickness, will shock with his punch at the point of attack and can read and react to sheds and make a stop against the run.

Webb has 30-front DL skills and makes a mess in the interior against the run with anchor strength. 

2. Kenny Bigelow, DT

Bigelow jumps on top of blockers with big-time snap quickness and is very physical at the point of attack.

He wants to engage, shock with strength, fight to shed and use his athleticism to make the tackle.

From Delaware, playing in Maryland and committed to USC, Bigelow has superstar three-technique potential. He can out-athlete a blocker at times with quickness and speed and has good range in pursuit.

1. Reuben Foster, LB

Foster is a 6'2", 245-pounder from Georgia who is headed to Auburn next year. He's a future superstar and excels at stopping the run.

Foster is big-time physical on the field, and he has outstanding athleticism. However, before that is even displayed, he shows off excellent instincts, ball location skills, a quick first step to come up from the second level and an ability to cipher through trash and traffic.

Foster then uses his strength to engage at the point of attack. He is never dug out from run alleys, he sheds well against OLs and lead blockers, and makes tackles with good pop and thump...down after down.

Edwin Weathersby has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena League. He spent a year evaluating prep prospects & writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (now ESPN Rise-HS). A syndicated scout and writer, he's also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a College Football and NFL Draft magazine.