Highlights and Analysis from the Opening Dallas Regional

COPPELL, Texas — The Dallas regional for both The Opening and Elite 11 has a reputation of highlighting some of the nation's most talented players. Sunday proved to be nothing different, as more than 300 athletes showcased their skills at Coppell High School.

When the competition was over, nine athletes punched their tickets to The Opening finals, which will take place this summer in Beaverton, Oregon.

Linebackers shine, punch their tickets

Of the nine invitees, three who were consistent during the day will play college football as linebackers.

Baron Browning, Levi Draper and Anthony Hines III all left with invitations to The Opening—despite not claiming position MVP honors at the event. Mohamed Sanogo, a 3-star inside linebacker from Plano, Texas, won the MVP award.

It was Browning, Draper and Hines, however, who claimed summer invites to the nation's most prestigious high school football skills competition.

"I came out with the mindset of getting it. That's all I wanted," Browning said. "When they didn't call my name for [linebacker] MVP, I didn't trip because all I wanted was The Opening. It felt good to hear my name called, and when they called my name first, I was looking around hoping it wasn't another Baron."

Hines added: "Honestly, it's an awesome feeling. I'm really blessed to have this opportunity to compete in the first place. To get this, it's just a cherry on top."

Of the three linebackers, Draper is the only one who is currently committed. Draper, the No. 3 inside linebacker in the 2017 class, committed to Oklahoma on Dec. 5. Browning, a former Baylor commit, is the No. 2 outside linebacker, while Hines—who has 81 offers—is the No. 2 inside linebacker.

Sleeper no more: New Mexico RB makes his mark

Get to know the name O'Maury Samuels. He's expected to be a name that goes from one offer to many in a very short time.

A running back from Los Lunas, New Mexico, Samuels first made an impression Saturday by taking over the nation's top spot in the Nike+ Football Rating competition. After running the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds, finishing the 20-yard shuttle in 4.14 seconds, throwing the power ball 43 feet and recording a vertical jump of 44.5 inches, Samuels scored a ratings score of 138.30, besting the previous ratings leader, 2018 running back DeMarcus Townsend, by nearly six points.

Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report

Samuels earned a spot in The Opening Dallas regional with the help of Saturday's performance. And on Sunday, he competed and impressed the event staff enough to earn his invitation to Beaverton. It's an outstanding feat for an athlete who only has one offer from New Mexico State.

"It's a blessing. Not a lot of athletes can say they'll be able to do this," said Samuels, who rushed for 1,468 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior for Los Lunas High School, according to MaxPreps.com. "This is the first major camp I've ever been to. I think I showed out."

Samuels said that while he only has one offer, he's also been in contact with Notre Dame, USC, Arizona and New Mexico, and he hopes to use his weekend performances to grow his recruitment.

DB skills training coach gets high praise

There are defensive backs—and linebackers looking to improve their coverage skills—from the states of Texas and Oklahoma who are big fans of Clay Mack. The skills training coach has built a reputation of improving athletes' overall skill set using intensity and positive reinforcement without publicly degrading an athlete.

Mack's level intensity was high Sunday, as he served as a defensive backs coach at the regional. Mack also saw two athletes he's trained, 5-star Texan Jeffrey Okudah and 4-star Oklahoman Tre Brown, earn invitations to The Opening finals.

"It's a testimony to how hard I worked this offseason, polishing my mechanics with Coach Mack," said Okudah—the nation's No. 1 safety in the 2017 class. "I've put in extra hours with him, and it's really paid off."

Mack has trained some of the best athletes to play college and pro football in recent years. Among them are Jacksonville Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson, LSU safety Jamal Adams and Texas safety Jason Hall.

Verone McKinley III, a 2018 cornerback with double-digit offers, gave Mack his stamp of approval, as well.

"Clay Mack's the real deal," McKinley said. "My technique and my football IQ, I think he's really helped out with those skill set. I don't care what anyone says; Clay Mack is my guy."

APB Williams shows skill, versatility

Cedar Hill (Texas) High School has a few stud 2017 athletes on its team. One of those players who made an impact Sunday is Kaegun Williams—a 3-star all-purpose back who walked away with running back MVP honors.

Chiseled at 5'9" and 190 pounds, Williams was solid in running back drills, as well as passing drills. He made a lasting impression in "Cat & Mouse," the popular, one-on-one drill pitting a running back against a linebacker.

Williams is classified as an all-purpose back because he is equally dangerous in the backfield as he is lined up as a receiver.

"I feel comfortable wherever I'm at on the field," Williams said. "I can catch and be comfortable at receiver, and I can run the ball."

Williams only has four offers thus far, but Tennessee is his most well-known offer. He also has SMU, Kansas and Tulsa offers and has been in contact with Stanford and Cal. Williams called his recruiting process "subtle and real smooth" and said he's expecting things to pick up during the spring.

Play of the day...with a kick

"Cat & Mouse" is a steady attraction at The Opening regional competitions, primarily because of the combination of intense linebacker-running back competition, the joking and trash-talking among the coaches and the punishment of 25 push-ups ultimately directed to the losing side.

Recently, the competition has been one where, if the running backs win, those in attendance will see running backs coach Jamal Robertson show his joy with a jump and a heel kick. It's been caught on video twice this circuit when the running backs win the battle in the final round.

Credit Hermitage, Arkansas, 3-star athlete Monta Thomas for Robertson's heel kick Sunday.

Robertson, who played in the NFL for San Francisco, Carolina and Atlanta and also saw time in the CFL, gave the same kick at The Opening Los Angeles regional when Jared Adelman made a winning move in favor of the running backs two weeks ago.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles