Best of New York Elite 11

NEW YORK- With pinpoint accuracy, developed footwork and a coachable presence highlighting his effort, four-star quarterback Kevin Olsen (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills), won the Most Valuable Player award at the New York Elite 11 Regional Workout and was invited to the Elite 11 finals, which will be held this summer in Redondo Beach, Calif.

Connor Mitch had a gutsy performance at the New York Elite 11 on Saturday after flying up from North Carolina at the crack of dawn.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Olsen, who has a top four of Miami (Fla.), South Carolina, Wisconsin and Auburn, was as impressive during the individual workouts, where quarterbacks do a variety of drills and receive instruction from the coaching staff, as he was when throwing routes to the receivers that were in attendance. It wasn’t as if the field was void of talent, but Olsen, the nation’s No. 4 pro-style quarterback, was the best.

Olsen is the younger brother of Carolina Panthers and former Miami tight end Greg Olsen.

Here’s a look at the rest of the top five performers (Class of 2013) at the event. Stay tuned as we feature the top 2014 prospects, along with sleepers and other items of interest in an article in the coming days.

2- Connor Mitch, Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield

Mitch caught a flight from the state capital of North Carolina to the Big Apple at 5 a.m. Saturday and was admittedly tired before the event, but still was one of the top performers there, showing little signs of fatigue during any of the drills.

Mitch has an excellent arm. He’s an accurate passer and throws with excellent velocity. His footwork also is advanced and at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he has good size and can move his feet. South Carolina, LSU and Alabama, among others, are in the best shape. He hopes to have a decision by the start of his senior year.

Look for Mitch, who currently has an overall rating of 89 and is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, to move up in the national pro-style quarterback rankings next week.

3- Shane Cockerille, Baltimore, Md./Gillman

It is all about the arm for Cockerille, a Maryland commit who hails from one of the state of Maryland’s top high school programs. The 6-foot-1.5, 205-pounder can really sling it when he wants to. Plus arm strength along with solid baseline fundamentals give him a chance to be a good player on the collegiate level. Look for his rating, which currently is an overall grade of 77 (two-star/average college-bound prospect), to rise and for him to be moved from the dual-threat to the pro-style quarterback rankings on 247Sports in the near future.

4- Brogan Roback, Toledo, Ohio/St. John Jesuit

Roback had some nice moments throwing the football both during the individual position work and the route work. He has a fairly quick release and has good velocity on his passes. There were times when he was exceptional with accuracy and other times when it was hit or miss, but he was one of the better 2013 quarterbacks at the event. Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Ohio U., and Toledo all have offered wit Wisconsin and others showing attention. Roback recently was rated as a three-star prospect with an overall grade of 85 by 247Sports.

5- Jacob Simons, Barrington (R.I.)

Simons was up-and-down in the passing department, but still when you consider his size and athleticism and his long-term upside in terms of throwing the football, you have to include him among the top rising senior prospects at the event. Simons will likely pick up offers this summer if he can show he’s more consistent with accuracy and mechanics in a camp setting. On film, he shows excellent ability to throw and run and was timed at 4.54 seconds (electronic) in the 40-yard dash at the Philadelphia SPARQ Combine in February.