Chester Graves to Ole Miss: Rebels Land 4-Star DE Prospect

The Ole Miss Rebels added a pass-rusher to their future depth chart on Wednesday when defensive end Chester Graves joined their 2017 recruiting class. 

Ross Martin of the Platte County Citizen provided a video of the announcement:

The 6'5" and 235-pound Graves is a 4-star prospect, per Scout, and the No. 160 overall player, No. 14 defensive end and No. 1 defensive end from the state of Missouri in the 2017 class.

A number of schools pursued Graves during his recruitment cycle outside of Ole Miss, including nearby Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Northwestern and Minnesota.

It is no surprise so many programs recruited Graves given his talent level. Jeremy Crabtree of ESPN.com said the "case [was] closed" that Graves was the top recruit in Kansas City. 

Hudl shared some of the highlights that earned Graves such a distinction:

One of the first things that jumps out about Graves is his overall size. He uses his height and strength to bulldoze his way into opposing backfields and meet running backs in the hole. Scout provided a breakdown of Graves' skill set and pointed to his overall explosiveness at the line of scrimmage.

While Graves doesn't bring top-end speed, that burst he shows during his first couple of steps allows him to get past offensive tackles and disrupt passing attacks. Scout said, "Once he becomes more versatile and adds more ways to beat opposing linemen, he'll be even more of a handful to block."

That is an enticing thought for Ole Miss fans, especially since he hasn't even landed on campus yet with the opportunity to improve his game and add strength. The Rebels need to improve a defense that allowed a disappointing 34 points per game during the 2016 season if they hope to compete with the likes of Alabama and LSU, and adding impact players like Graves is an ideal place to start.