Five Junior WR’s to Watch

<strong>Jamariel Brown, 5'10, 180, Roundlake</strong> <img src="https://static.hudl.com/users/prod/11890542_4ce3d14cdf4a4404a53fc76f7b76b468.jpg" /> This is a shifty prospect who doubled as a running back on top of being a top-notch wide receiver. He has exceptional vision and consistently finds cutback lanes before bursting through them. Despite being a smaller framed athlete, linebackers struggled to bring him down when meeting him head-on in the gap. To me, his future is as a slot wide receiver at the collegiate level. Brown is a tough kid who also had a tendency to bury defensive backs in the blocking game. <strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Eli Reed, 5’11, 180, Downers Grove South</span></strong> <img src="https://static.hudl.com/users/prod/8061225_69243eb2350c416695165e63e9a4530f.jpg" /> Reed is a blazer, running the 40-yard dash in the 4.5 range. He gets off press almost effortlessly and does a tremendous job of swiping corners hands away. Watch out for him in the redzone, as teams struggled to find ways to stop him. Reed is an intelligent and patient route runner, who constantly sets up defenders, leading them to their demise. He has impressive leaping ability and can win the 50/50 ball. <strong>Dre Egipciaco, 6, 180, Galesburg</strong> <img src="https://static.hudl.com/users/prod/11202648_4a057471f36042d2a8245df7a2092a94.jpg" /> Dre put up some impressive numbers as a sophomore, going for 739 yards and 8 touchdowns. He's a magician after the catch and was notorious for his long TD receptions. This is a natural hands catcher who allows his quarterback to drop the deep ball right into the breadbasket. He has the ability to line up at any receiver position on the field and has overall deceptive speed that defenders struggle with. He was Galesburg go-to guy as a sophomore, and I think he's poised for even bigger junior season. <strong>Dane Pardridge, 6', 170, Marmion</strong> <img src="https://static.hudl.com/users/prod/11147031_31046b74f03d4e1dbc6edaa8990e9b66.jpg" /> Pardridge just came up on my radar recently, and I came away very impressed by his game tape. This is a kid who was First Team All-Conference as a sophomore, in the Chicago Catholic League. As a wide receiver, he runs smooth routes and has the ability to adjust to errant throws. He does good of selling routes and getting defenders to bite. He understands the importance of leaning into corners, before making his break and is fearless coming across the middle. <strong>Karon Shelley, 6', 175, Decatur Eisenhower</strong> <img class="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVSU0peXQAAZqIn?format=jpg&amp;name=large" alt="Image" width="400" height="296" /> Shelley has breakaway speed that he pairs with impeccable playmaking ability. Last fall, he was a natural at tracking the ball in the air and was able to make receptions in awkward body positions. He can stop on a dime, and it wasn't uncommon to see a defender on the ground after giving chase. I think he's a major Division one prospect at both defensive back &amp; wide receiver. He's still flying under the radar right now, but I don't think that'll last too much longer.