Scouting Mike Dereus
Justin Rowland
EagleAction.com Recruiting Analyst
EagleAction.com is taking a closer look at Mike Dereus, an in-state athlete that's one of BC's few remaining rising senior prospects.
Dereus warrants a closer look because he turned in a strong camp performance at BC earlier this summer.
Strengths: His speed is good and that's not just something BC sources have seen on tape. Dereus reportedly turned in a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at camp. That's on BC's surface, with BC coaches timing. That kind of in-person evaluation carries a lot of weight. Given that BC is always looking for speed and like any other program they always value it even more in local players, he's intriguing.
Dereus is also intriguing because he's got versatility. He could play receiver, defensive back or help in the special teams game.
Rivals.com has Dereus listed at close to 6-feet and almost 190 pounds. He may even be 6-feet now and his frame is solid. His listed vertical of 31-inches is solid as is, and one could legitimately wonder if that's better now, too, given how much updating his 40-time would need.
Dereus looks like a player that has long arms. At receiver he gets off the ball with a good amount of explosiveness. He's athletic and is a player that could be difficult to bring down after the catch. When he goes up and catches the ball he comes down stronger and turns up the field with impressive quickness in one seamless motion.
Although we haven't seen much of Dereus as a defensive back he has the size and athleticism to excel there, too, with better than average ball skills in the secondary.
On punts and kickoffs he could be an explosive threat to flip the field or score because he's got great burst when he decides to kick it up a gear. He also changes direction at the drop of a hat.
Areas for Improvement: At receiver his route running could stand to improve from a technical standpoint. We would also like to see more of him as a blocker. Although he's quick off the ball, we would also like to see him use his hands a little more to shed contact in press coverage, although to be fair most receivers at his age don't have a refined track record of that either.
If Dereus were to be recruited at defensive back he would be a bit more of an unknown because there's not a lot of film available on him there.
Bottom Line: Based on what we've seen and heard Dereus has ACC-level athleticism. BC does have a number crunch and probably can't wait forever. Defensive back is more of a priority than receiver, although Dereus is more accomplished, it seems, at receiver and as a return man. So it will come down to how long he wants to wait, how long BC is willing to wait, and whether the Eagles continue to believe they can find the right position for him and have a need there.
Justin Rowland
EagleAction.com Recruiting Analyst
EagleAction.com is taking a closer look at Mike Dereus, an in-state athlete that's one of BC's few remaining rising senior prospects.
Dereus warrants a closer look because he turned in a strong camp performance at BC earlier this summer.
Strengths: His speed is good and that's not just something BC sources have seen on tape. Dereus reportedly turned in a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at camp. That's on BC's surface, with BC coaches timing. That kind of in-person evaluation carries a lot of weight. Given that BC is always looking for speed and like any other program they always value it even more in local players, he's intriguing.
Dereus is also intriguing because he's got versatility. He could play receiver, defensive back or help in the special teams game.
Rivals.com has Dereus listed at close to 6-feet and almost 190 pounds. He may even be 6-feet now and his frame is solid. His listed vertical of 31-inches is solid as is, and one could legitimately wonder if that's better now, too, given how much updating his 40-time would need.
Dereus looks like a player that has long arms. At receiver he gets off the ball with a good amount of explosiveness. He's athletic and is a player that could be difficult to bring down after the catch. When he goes up and catches the ball he comes down stronger and turns up the field with impressive quickness in one seamless motion.
Although we haven't seen much of Dereus as a defensive back he has the size and athleticism to excel there, too, with better than average ball skills in the secondary.
On punts and kickoffs he could be an explosive threat to flip the field or score because he's got great burst when he decides to kick it up a gear. He also changes direction at the drop of a hat.
Areas for Improvement: At receiver his route running could stand to improve from a technical standpoint. We would also like to see more of him as a blocker. Although he's quick off the ball, we would also like to see him use his hands a little more to shed contact in press coverage, although to be fair most receivers at his age don't have a refined track record of that either.
If Dereus were to be recruited at defensive back he would be a bit more of an unknown because there's not a lot of film available on him there.
Bottom Line: Based on what we've seen and heard Dereus has ACC-level athleticism. BC does have a number crunch and probably can't wait forever. Defensive back is more of a priority than receiver, although Dereus is more accomplished, it seems, at receiver and as a return man. So it will come down to how long he wants to wait, how long BC is willing to wait, and whether the Eagles continue to believe they can find the right position for him and have a need there.
