Elite 11 Regional Atlanta Recap

By: Raynard Churchwell

Since being founded in 1999, the Elite 11 has become one of the most prominent competitions in all of high school sports. Quarterbacks from all over the country compete to see who the top 11 guys are through sets of drills, scrimmages, and challenges. Many of today’s college and NFL star quarterbacks are members of this elite fraternity. Superstars such as Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, and others have had the honor of being named to the Elite 11. This past Saturday, the Elite 11 kicked off their country tour in Atlanta, as some of the best high school quarterbacks from the region gathered at Carrollton High School to compete with each other and separate the elite from the good. Here are a few players that stood out to me.

1. Aaron McLaughlin (Denmark High School – Alpharetta, GA, Class of 2021) – McLaughlin made it clear from the start that he was the best quarterback in the camp as he put his athleticism and physical tools on full display. He checked in with prototypical size at 6-foot-5, 219 pounds. He also showed good speed and agility by running a 4.71 40-yard dash, 4.33 shuttle, and 36.5-inch vertical jump. This earned him the highest athletic rating in the camp at 119.19. McLaughlin’s most notable attribute was his arm strength, as he showed a tremendous ability to drive the ball down the field without much effort. According to 247 Sports, McLaughlin is currently ranked as the No. 12 Pro-Style Quarterback in the nation and will be heading to the Elite 11 Final in June.

2. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (Grayson High School – Loganville GA, Class of 2021) – Del-Rio–Wilson showed once again why he is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. Like McLaughlin, Del Rio-Wilson also came in with good size at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. He also showed that he was one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the camp as he earned the 2^nd highest athletic rating at 105.51. Del-Rio put on a clinic with his passing as his technique and footwork were outstanding. Almost every pass he threw seemed to hit the receivers directly in between their jersey number. Del Rio-Wilson is currently ranked as the No.11 Pro-Style Quarterback in the country and has been committed to the Florida Gators since the summer of 2019.

3. Cortland Dicks (Deerfield Academy – Deerfield (MA), Class of 2021) – Coming from Massachusetts, Cortland Dicks didn’t come into the camp with the same hype as the previous two attendees, but his performance definitely showed that he deserved to be there. The biggest thing that stood out to me was his arm strength and ball placement. He showed he could make every throw in the playbook and had a nice touch when throwing the ball. Dicks also opened eyes when he won the Golden Gun Accuracy Challenge for the Class of 2021 group. Dicks is currently rated as a 3-Star prospect, but I expect him to rise through the ranks during the summer and his senior year.

TEAM NBS will next be at the Washington D.C. regionals make sure to keep it locked for more updates.