Every team in the country would love to get their hands on Dorial Green-Beckham. Better yet, they'd love to get his hands in their offense. The country's top wide receiver recruit is also the top ranked recruit overall for Rivals, and luckily for Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel that Green-Beckham is an in-state product.
Green-Beckham is already drawing comparisons to household names like Randy Moss and elite prospects like A.J. Green, and for good reason. His size is elite, his hands are incredible and there's not a weakness to his game. Power Mizzou profiled the Springfield resident recently and noted Missouri's inside edge on recruiting:
Teams across the nation are drooling over the 6'6", 220-pound pass catcher, and for good reason. No receiver has been at the top of the Rivals rankings in the last few years, and Green-Beckham has drawn comparisons to A.J. Green, Julio Jones and even Randy Moss. His decision is a long way off, but Missouri is in strong position early, and should make Green-Beckham's final five when the cut is made sometime in June.
The Tigers should pursue as hard as they can considering the competition: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, USC and Alabama are all in the mix with a dozen other schools submitting offers. The reason everyone is vying for the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year is the overwhelming mismatch he instantly creates. The last two seasons, Green-Beckham has over 3,300 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns -- ridiculous numbers at any level. Stephen Spiewak from MaxPreps.com notes the match-up issues when he writes:
His versatility as an athlete carries over to the football field as well. Green-Beckham can be a home run threat (or high school football's greatest decoy) on deep routes lined up at split end. However, unlike many players his size, his speed and ability to make defenders miss allows him to be used as an underneath threat. He's a matchup problem for any opposing team, and needs to be accounted for on each down.
If Missouri grabs Green-Beckham, it instantly makes whoever wins the starting quarterback position -- most likely James Franklin after the transfer of Tyler Gabbert -- that much better. It also makes Gary Pinkel a happy man.