Class of 2020 Players to Watch – Defensive backs

This story is the final installment of our players to watch series. For the second straight position group, and the third story overall the most talked about player – nationally - at his position comes from the SMB Wolfpack. This list is comprised of mostly guys who are primarily corners, but a few defenders play multiple positions – including linebacker. Many of these athletes play on both sides of the ball, helping their offenses from the wide receiver position. Craig McDonald Craig McDonald DB SMB | 2020 State MN SMB McDonald is an Iowa State commit and had offers that included Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue, and Dartmouth. He played wide receiver, running back, some quarterback and returned punts for the state champion Wolfpack. Obviously, his hands at the cornerback position are excellent as is his athletic ability. He has the speed to keep up with most wide receivers, but because of his instincts and quickness, he is just as capable of playing off as he is playing in the receiver’s face. With his 6’3" frame, his size also separates the junior from the rest of his defensive back peers. AJ Scaife AJ Scaife 6'3" | LB Roseville | 2020 State MN Roseville Scaife has been invited to junior days at Iowa, SDSU and UND. He is a big, physical corner who can rough up most receivers and can lay a hit on the receiver. His physical play helps him in run support and getting off blocks when offenses try to throw outside screens. A versatile defender, Scaife lined up on the slot receiver most often, but also spent some time as a deep safety and – it appeared – as an outside linebacker in some situations. Elijah Ofori Elijah Ofori DB Shakopee | 2020 State MN Shakopee Photo from hudl.com In addition to some Division II invites, Ofori has had invites to junior days at Minnesota, Nebraska, SDSU, South Dakota and UNI. He has excellent man-to-man coverage skills. He breaks on the ball well. Partly because of his size, but also because of his ball skills, he finds and plays the ball well on deep throws. At this point, he appears to be a better coverage corner than a run support guy, but Ofori still comes up hard in the running game. He also has the closing speed to track people down from the backside. Namdi Obiazor Eden Prairie Obiazor has a junior day invite to Iowa. He is a physical corner who seems to be most effective in zone coverage. He has good instincts and breaks on the ball effectively. Obiazor is a strong tackler who comes up fearlessly in run support. He has good ball instincts on deep balls and gets off blocks effectively on the outside. RaJa Nelson Lakeville North Nelson has an offer from UND and has had junior day invites to Minnesota, Iowa St, Michigan State, and SDSU. Nelson appeared earlier in this series as a wide receiver. Since I don’t know where he will end up position-wise, and he is that solid at both positions, he shows up again in this series. As a corner, he breaks on the ball better than possibly anyone on this list. Connor Raines Shakopee Raines was invited to junior days at UND, Moorhead, BSU, and SDSU. A downhill safety, Raines is a big hitting defensive back. While he can cover ground in coverage, he is most effective supporting the run. Raines often lines up almost as an outside linebacker and can shed the blocks of running backs and wide receivers to make plays at the line of scrimmage. Elton Myhre Stewartville Myhre has a game day invite to SDSU. Because of his size, Myhre likely projects as a safety at the next level but played as much outside linebacker as safety as a junior. Because of the multiple positions, it was not a surprise to see he is best against the run. He is a tall, lean defender but can use his hands to get rid of blockers and use his speed to run down ball carriers. While he can cover ground in coverage, he is most effective when he roams the field and can use his speed and big play instincts to make the big hit. Drew Bramlett Drew Bramlett 6'0" | DB Woodbury | 2020 State MN Woodbury Photo from hudl.com Bramlett has invites to Stetson, UND, BSU, Moorhead, Crookston, Princeton, and SDSU. As a safety, he has good ball skills and can play as a center fielder as well as at the line of scrimmage in press, man-to-man coverage. Bramlett has good closing speed – both when defending the pass and when asked to attack a run from his safety position. When he gets to the ball, he is not just a coverage guy – he is a tough, physical tackler. Joe Frommelt Woodbury Frommelt has invites to UND, Winona, BSU, Moorhead, SDSU, and USD. Like his teammate, Bramlett, Frommelt is solid in run support. He has good instincts when deciding when to attack and when to lay back. He can play effectively as a center fielder, in man coverage and as the eighth man in the box. Frommelt has solid closing speed and covers a lot of ground, playing sideline to sideline. William Jones William Jones DB Prior Lake | 2020 State MN Prior Lake Jones has had junior day invites to SDSU, UND, and USD. Jones can play both safety and corner. He keeps good body position when in press coverage on the outside. His ability to play the ball on deep routes allows him to play against any type of receiver. Jones also breaks well on underneath throws and is a solid tackler in the run game.