Portrait of a Playmaker: Dorian Singer

I’m getting really excited about the potential of Twin Cities multi-sport athletes committing to play football. Playing multiple sports is always the smart thing to do and something that college coaches push anyways. I think this has always been a staple of midwestern athletics but with the basketball talent in Minnesota I always thought how impressive it would be if they all played football as well.

It’s been said before but it’s still true: there is no good reason Minnesota can’t play bully ball as well as Wisconsin. Stocking the team with lineman and linebackers from across the state, then cherry-picking the best athletes from the Metro area would make for some interesting Axe games.

Dorian Singer is one of those cherry-picked athletes. I may be wrong but I think he may have been more of a hooper but decided to stick with football at Tartan. He’s one of those athletic 5’11”-6’2″ guards who you wish played football. Those guys end up playing D2 or Juco ball which just seems like a waste of potential. Instead Singer is able to put his explosiveness, quick feet, and overall dexterity to good use as a big play receiver and safety. He’s got a good, lengthy frame with a powerful lower body that helps him glide across the field. This coupled with his overall body control makes him a very underrated recruit in my estimation. Read on to see why

Dorian Singer – ATH – 6’1” 170 – Tartan HS

Size/Build – Long and lean with a rangy frame. High cut with relatively narrow shoulders but should add excellent bulk to the shoulder/neck area with increased dedication and development. One of the more obvious basketball-intensive physical builds out there. Some lower body bulk that shows up in his overall explosiveness. We’ll see how he does in a college program. 

Speed – Very explosive step to step as a route runner and defensive back. Burst off the line is only above average, but it’s his 3+ strides that area really excellent. Striking acceleration once he gets going with the body control to maintain his speed through various micro-adjustments as a defender or a receiver. 

Agility – Pretty good in this area. As a receiver he has the feet to accelerate rapidly and break without losing much speed. As a ball carrier he can change directions well but he’s not exactly a jitterbug. Threatens with his explosiveness, angles and micro adjustments to beat his opponents. Powerful lower body that allows him to stick his foot in the ground and go. 

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— Dorian singer (@showtime_dough) January 26, 2020

Ball Skills – A truly gifted athlete in this respect. Ball skills encompasses body coordination as well as hand-eye coordination and he carries both in spades. Singer’s lower body explosiveness and upper body coordination put him in good position at the catch point. Can work his top and lower halves independently to adjust to the ball. Big hands to palm balls outside of his frame. Truly gifted athlete who shows some dominant traits as a pass catcher. Gains upfield separation fairly easily and isn’t challenged much as a defender in-phase. 

Man Coverage – Clearly gifted enough here but I wouldn’t put him in this position full time. His coverage ability is predicated on keeping a relatively high and loose stance and without much experience in press man I don’t think he’d have a good time early on if this was his main function. That being said I have no doubts about his ability to thrive in man coverage. He has smooth and graceful reactions to movement and the explosiveness to close gaps with violence and skill. He has the frame to develop into an All Conference player at whatever defensive backfield position you want. 

Zone Coverage – Relaxed and confident cover 2 defender. Relatively high in his stance which helps him drift to where he needs to be without much fanfare. Not much of a banger but he has the reactionary quickness to break and meet the receiver at the catch point. Explosiveness and ball skills to be a threat on deep balls into his area. 

Tackling – Can be gifted here if he focuses on it. Clearly the best athlete on the field most times so he doesn’t really need to yet. That being said he has the body control to stay in good positions and use the sideline as an extra defender. Should thrive in the disciplined defensive culture P.J. Fleck and Joe Rossi are building. 

Summary

Dorian Singer is a special athlete in the Tyler Johnson mold of vertically explosive receivers with good feet and body control. I personally feel that Singer is massively under recruited at the moment. I would be sorely disappointed to see him go to the FCS and dominate as a Freshman receiver. I was pretty down on letting Omar Brown leave the state last year but taking Singer would make up for that, personally speaking. 

While he would be effective at safety, I’d prefer to see him use his natural dexterity and coordination at receiver. If he earns a Minnesota offer I would hope that he commits right away.  Hopefully Fleck sees enough this summer to pull the trigger at camp.