5 Takeaways from ESPN's Updated 2017 Recruiting Rankings

ESPN on Wednesday released its revised ESPN 300 rankings, and two offensive linemen have taken over the top two spots for the 2017 class.

Less than 10 months away from national signing day, ESPN has 123 of its top 300 players verbally committed. And for the first time this year, fans are seeing a new name as the top-ranked player in the nation.

Here are five takeaways from the updated rankings:

OTs shine in rankings, including at No. 1 spot

Running back Najee Harris. Linebacker Dylan Moses. Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson. These are three names—and composite 5-star athletes—whom the majority of the recruiting world has grown used to holding top spots in various national recruiting services. ESPN made noise by declaring Jackson, Tennessee, offensive tackle Trey Smith as its top-ranked player in the 2017 class.

Smith, per 247Sports' composite rankings, is a 4-star player who is ranked among the top 65 players. ESPN said Smith is in the mold of former Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil, who is expected to be a top-10 first-round draft pick on in the 2016 NFL draft. At 6'5" and 302 pounds, Smith has great size, plays with a lot of tenacity and is light on his feet in both running and passing situations.

Offensive tackles dominated the top-20 rankings. Smith is No. 1, and Isaiah Wilson is No. 2. Alabama commit Alex Leatherwood is No. 9. Also cracking the top 20 were Austin Deculus (No. 14), Josh Myers (No. 16) and Auburn commit Calvin Ashley (No. 20).

Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama rolling with commits

Of the top 300 athletes, 25 have already given verbal commitments to one of three schools—Ohio State, Oklahoma and Alabama. Ohio State leads the charge with 10 commits, including top-50 players in Myers, cornerback Shaun Wade and safety Isaiah Pryor.

Alabama has seven commits, and the reigning national champion is expecting to land several more star-caliber athletes between now and national signing day. Harris and Leatherwood spearhead the Crimson Tide's class, but safety Xavier McKinney also is a top-100 player.

For Ohio State and Alabama, the recruiting race appears to be more of the same. Both teams have a solid job in landing targets early. The story, however, may be the rapid start for Oklahoma, a team that has, in recent years, started slow but ended strong with recruiting.

The Sooners have eight commitments in the ESPN 300. Wide receiver Jalen Reagor is the top-ranked Sooner at No. 75, but guard Tyrese Robinson (No. 90) and cornerback Justin Broiles (No. 119) also are expected to be impact players early.

McCaffrey, Narcisse ranked as nation's top QBs

Holding down the top overall quarterback spot is Dylan McCaffrey, a Michigan commit and the younger brother of Stanford's Heisman hopeful Christian McCaffrey. Dylan is ranked No. 19 in the ESPN 300.

McCaffrey also is the nation's top-ranked pocket-passing quarterback. Lowell Narcisse has the top spot among dual-threat quarterbacks. Narcisse, at No. 38, is ranked higher than both Baylor pledge Kellen Mond (No. 48) and Texas A&M pledge Tate Martell (No. 73), the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in 247Sports' composite rankings.

Clemson commit Hunter Johnson is another top-50 quarterback in the ESPN 300. At No. 50, Johnson is ranked as the No. 2 pocket-passing quarterback.

Wide receivers set the tone for new rankings

It's common to see an abundance of defensive linemen on a list of the nation's top-ranked players, no matter which recruiting service puts out the list. On Wednesday, the spotlight belonged to the wide receivers.

Of the 300 players, 44 are ranked as wide receivers by ESPN. Donovan Peoples-Jones is the top-ranked receiver and the No. 12 player overall. Joseph Lewis is right behind him at No. 15. Three more receivers in the top 50 include James Robinson at No. 21, Jerry Jeudy at No. 26 and Tee Higgins at No. 31. Trevon Grimes is right outside the top 50 at No. 51.

While there were 44 receivers in the ESPN 300, 31 offensive tackles made the list. There were also 27 running backs, 26 cornerbacks, 23 athletes, 22 defensive ends and 21 safeties. There were 20 defensive tackles for this class.

ESPN high on California QB Lytle 

California's Tyler Lytle is a 3-star quarterback in 247Sports' composite rankings. He's ranked No. 290 in the ESPN 300.

There are high expectations for the Servite High School gunslinger. He has 20 reported offers and has schools like Arizona State, Colorado and Vanderbilt high on his list.

At a shade under 6'5" and 200 pounds, Lytle has prototypical quarterback size and a rocket arm to match. Per ESPN, Lytle plans to announce his verbal commitment before the first week of June.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles