5-Star Recruit Arik Armstead: What Position Will He Play in College?

There is talk that Arik Armstead is a phenom and has the highest ceiling of any recruit in the 2012 class. Some have even gone as far as to list Armstead as the top player in the country on their board. He is an elite prospect and sits high on my overall board as well. 

A big athlete, Armstead is also one of the top basketball prospects in the country. Yet he knows football will be his bread and butter sport in college. The only thing is, with so much talent, athleticism and size, Armstead could become a dominant player at several positions on the field.

What position will he play in college? Let's find out.

Who Is Arik Armstead?

Armstead is one of the top football and basketball prospects in the 2012 high school sports recruiting cycle. At 6'8", 280 pounds, he excels on the gridiron as well as on the hardwood as a power forward/center.

He is the younger brother of current USC defensive end Armond Armstead. From Nor-Cal, Armstead will follow his older brother to Troy, as he pledged to USC the spring of his sophomore year at Pleasant Grove (CA).

Scout.com lists Armstead as the No. 1 overall player and prospect in the country for 2012.

Armstead Scouting Report

At 6'8", 280 pounds, the first thing that jumps out at you on tape is obviously Armstead's size. Yet when you watch him move around, his athletic ability becomes even more of an amazement than his size.

Armstead shows the ability to play defensive end, defensive tackle and offensive tackle. As an end, he shows great snap quickness, length to stay clean and finish ability. He can walk blockers back as a defensive tackle and slip gaps for a big man.

As an offensive lineman, Armstead has the nimble feet, athleticism and wingspan to develop into an elite left tackle. He does what he wants to targets and is outstanding on the second level. The only thing overall with Amstead that may be a knock is he needs technique work at all three spots.

Armstead as a Left Tackle

This seems to be the spot where most want to see him, as he has a sky-like ceiling at left tackle. His 6'8" height combined with his super athletic ability would make it hard for rushers to get to the quarterback on the offensive edges.

Armstead shows the ability to set quickly, slide, mirror and recover to any type of rusher, be it speed or power. He has the strength to sit and anchor and wash well too.

He explodes out of his stance in the run game and can overpower targets, and his athleticism becomes apparent, as he can hit moving targets on the second level and be used on sweeps, traps, down-blocks, seals and reaches.

Armstead as a Defensive Tackle

Naturally when you get such a big player that plays on the defensive line and weighs nearly 300 pounds, you look at his prospects inside at defensive tackle. And yes, Armstead shows great potential here too.

He's quick at the snap to jump guards and sit and anchor vs. the run to make a mess inside. He uses his speed on one snap to beat a blocker inside and can also walk and bull rush to power his way through.

Armstead has a high ceiling as a defensive tackle, and this may be a spot he easily ends up at, as he likely will be 300 pounds or more by the time he leaves USC.

Armstead as a Defensive End

This is probably Armstead's most natural position for now, as again many evaluators see left tackle as his best spot. Armstead is a monster off the edge as both a pass rusher and run stopper.

He gets off the snap with elite quickness, uses his length to stay clean, converts speed to power very well and has a burst to close and finish.

Versus the run, Armstead reminds me a bit of Chris Canty, as he can stop and stack at the point of attack, toss to shed and stuff the run when coming at him. Yet he also has good range, speed and pursuit ability to chase ball carriers along the line.

What Position Will He Play in College?

Armstead has told anyone who will listen that he will play defensive end at USC. Specifically, Ed Orgeron has told him he will play the strong side, just like his brother currently does.

This position fits Arik fine, as he is comfortable as a defensive end. Yet he still could grow into a defensive tackle and be a swing lineman, again just like Armond is at USC.

But don't count out left tackle just yet.