College Football Recruiting: Shaq Thompson or Landon Collins, Who's the No. 1 S?

Aside from Eddie Williams, two other big time safeties that I'm a fan of are Shaq Thompson and Landon Collins. Each are big time players, but I must also urge that I dig Eddie Williams.

Yet for this read, B/R has asked me to break down Collins and Thompson. They're among the top 20 players in the country and the debate goes back and forth between who's better.

Let's see.

Who Is Shaq Thompson?

Thompson hails form Sacremento Grant (CA) High School, which is one of the premier high school football powerhouses in talent rich California.

Thompson dominated games as a junior on both sides of the ball, rushing for 1800 yards and 25 touchdowns as a running back and controlling the opposing team's receivers as defensive back.

He is the younger brother of former Cal cover corner Syd'Quad Thompson, who is now with the Denver Broncos. Thompson is an excellent athlete and has been one of the top overall players in the Golden State for the past two seasons.

Who Is Landon Collins?

Collins is a stout strong safety prospect from Louisiana that is the top player in the Bayou region this year. He grew up not far from Baton Rouge and LSU's campus.

Last year Collins eclipsed the 100 tackle mark and also picked off four balls. He can play OLB, SS or FS for a defense and I have him as one of my top 10 hardest hitters in the country.

On the recruiting front, Collins has a top list that includes LSU, Alabama and Texas.

Shaq Thompson Scouting Report

Thompson is a 6'2", 210-pounder that will line up at safety for the Bears, although he could get a look as a running back. Thompson has very good play speed and athleticism to combine with solid instincts on the back end.

He has a solid, quick back pedal and is quick read and react vs. the run. He flashes a willingness to plug holes vs. ball carriers and can be very effective in the box as an extra defender. Thompson has very good range and is not looked off easily. He's quick to decipher route combos and has leaping ability and ball skills to high point interceptions.

Thompson is also known as a big, bone crushing hitter.

Thompson can play corner in a pinch but is better at playing off-man than he is at press-man. He just lacks the upper body strength and quick strike ability to re-route receivers effectively in his jam. This is likely the only glaring flaw in his game at the moment.

Landon Collins Scouting Report

Landon Collins is a 5-star recruit and one of the top players in the country as he can play both safety and outside linebacker.

At 6', 210 pounds, Collins shows to be uber-instinctive in the box, physical against the run and be your typical eight defender to aid the front seven.

On the back end, he's productive in space in coverage, showing an ability to be a factor in the zone due to his awareness. He always finds a way to the ball and hates getting caught in traffic.

I would like to see him more in man to man situations, but he shows the athleticism and speed to hold his own vs. TEs.

Diffrences and Similarities

Both players can play three different positions for a defense. However, Collins' third spot is OLB while Thompson can play some CB for you.

Thompson may have better ball skills too.

Both players are also big time hitters and enforcers in the deep middle. Combine that with each is a great athlete with good speed, instincts and awareness and you see why this is a hard draw.

Who's Tops?

It's a tie really, but I like Collins. I just tend to lean more towards SS/Rover type players more as stopping the run is crucial for a defense.

But, Thompson is a phenomenal player that can also play RB or WR. He's tacked on some wight this year as last year he was just in the 185-190 range.

But for now, I'll take Collins, but by all means, that is no slight at all to Thompson, whom I feel will be an All-Conference player at least.