Georgia Bulldogs Recruiting: 10 Things To Know About Ray Drew

One of Georgia's top targets during the offseason is Ray Drew.

Drew is a defensive lineman, specifically a defensive end, from Thomas County Central High School. 

Thomas County Central High School is located pretty near the University of Georgia as it can be found in Thomasville, Georgia. Bulldogs fans across the country are hoping that Drew decides to stay close to home when he goes off to college. 

He'll graduate in 2011 but has yet to make his final decision. One thing is for sure though, Georgia is high up on his list. 

Georgia fans should be excited about the potential of watching Drew next year. Read on for some information on the prospect. 

Rankings

ESPN lists Ray Drew as the No. 3 recruit in the 2011 class. His scout's grade on the site is an 87, which means that ESPN thinks he is, "A potential immediate game-changer at the major college level who could push for all-conference recognition as a true freshman. Will enter college with elite skills needed to create mismatches against top-level competition. A future All-American candidate."

Scout.com meanwhile lists Drew as the No. 8 defensive end in the country, only meriting a four-star classification. 

Then there's Yahoo! Sports, which lists Drew as the best defensive end in the country, but only the 28th best overall recruit. 

None of those three rankings are shabby at all, but whoever lands Drew will hope that he backs up Drew's prediction. 

Size

Ray Drew is already a very big young man. 

He stands six feet and five inches tall, weighing 248 pounds. That's a very good size for an elite defensive end already. 

However, Drew's body is perfectly built for packing on another 30 pounds. With the training of a college program, he should be able to bulk up while remaining in elite shape. 

The prospect of a skilled pass rusher with Drew's size is scary. 

Comparisons

The two comparisons to current NFL stars that I've seen are both quite favorable. 

A lot of recruiting websites compare Drew to John Abraham, a defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons who has been to three pro bowls since his debut in 2000. 

The other comparison is to Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. Drew himself says that his style of play is most similar to Allen's. 

Considering both of these players are perennially among the NFL's best at their position, neither of the comparisons are bad at all. 

Things He's Good At

In addition to his size, Drew also possesses many skills necessary to be a great defensive end. 

Drew has great explosion off the ball and has proven to be quite adept at creating fearsome pass rushes. For his size, he's quite quick as well. 

The defensive end is also great at tackling when he gets to opposing ballcarriers. 

Most impressive though is his strength. Pound-for-pound, Drew may be the strongest high school football player in the entire country. 

He displays great effort on every play and appears to have a great head on his shoulders. Drew is even a licensed minister, so it's clear that character won't become a problem. 

Things To Work On

Despite the defensive end's seemingly imminent greatness, there are still things that he needs to work on. 

One of those is his number of moves in the pass rushing game. Drew needs to develop more ways to get to the quarterback, especially ones that involve the use of his hands. 

He also needs to add those pounds that we talked about earlier so that he isn't bullied by bigger offensive lineman in the running game. 

Finally, Drew needs to improve his aggressiveness. The recruit himself has admitted that the aggressiveness, as well as maintaining a consistent pad level at the point of attack, is something that he needs to work on. 

Self-Awareness

The last sentence on the previous slide read, "The recruit himself has admitted that the aggressiveness, as well as maintaining a consistent pad level at the point of attack, is something that he needs to work on."

Just think about that for a second.

Now, add to it that Drew also said his biggest strength is his explosiveness. 

How many high school seniors are self-aware enough to know their own strengths and weaknesses?

That aspect of Drew's game will help him immensely when he's trying to improve at the next level. 

Other Potential Spots

While Drew was apparently very interested in the University of Florida at one point, he had second thoughts when Dan McCarney, Florida's defensive line coach, bolted to become the head coach at North Texas State.

Then, when Urban Meyer decided to leave, Drew told the Orlando Sentinel that Florida didn't have enough time left to get back in the race for his services. 

Drew's list of schools now contains just five programs. 

In addition to the Georgia Bulldogs, Drew remains interested in the Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers, Clemson Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers.

What Drew Things About Georgia

After Drew spent two days in Athens, Georgia during the beginning of December, he had the following things to say. 

About the visit as a whole: “It went well. I really enjoyed myself up there. I finally got a chance to meet some of the recruits I’d been talking to and texting on the phone but hadn’t met in person.”

What he liked about Georgia: "If I had to pick one thing about Georgia, it’s not the stadium or the facilities or the school and that stuff, which is all great. It’s the people. Everybody there is so nice and so close and gets along so well. It’s the feeling you get when you’re around them.”

What he thought about Mark Richt's fishing excursion with him: "All we caught was a cold. It was freezing.”

All of those sound like positives to me. 

U.S. Army All-American Bowl

The next game Drew plays will be an opportunity to showcase his talents on a national stage. 

On January 8th, 2011, Drew will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. 

The game, played in San Antonio, will be broadcast at 1 PM EST on the 8th. It will be aired live on NBC. 

Anyone interested in Drew should make sure to tune in. 

The Bulldogs' Chances

Of the five schools that I mentioned as ones that Drew remains interested in, Georgia stands a pretty good chance. 

The defensive end has made official visits to Georgia, LSU and Auburn so far, leaving him with two more to make. 

It seems as though the final two will be to Alabama and Tennessee.

Based on the things he's said and the fact that he would fit in well with Todd Grantham's defensive system, Georgia remains one of the favorites. 

It wouldn't hurt though for the Bulldogs to put up a good showing in the Liberty Bowl.