Under the Radar ’21 – Defensive ends

Brian Jerzak June 18, 2020 @ 12:00 AM

We are coming down the stretch with our series of under the radar athletes. This story is the eighth installment of our series highlighting top talent in the Class of 2021 – who do not have many – if any offers – yet. These are all guys we feel will – especially with big senior seasons – have offers down the road. Right now, they are just under the radar. The focus switches back into the trenches and specifically to the defensive ends. Do you need a 4-3 or a 3-4 defensive end? We have both. Need a guy who can slide inside to a three-technique or a guy who can play in a two-point stance? We have those guys too. Michael McIntyre – Osseo McIntyre uses his hands well. He sets the edge with good lateral movement. That lateral movement allows him to string out runs to the outside. He plays in a two-point stance, almost like a stand-up defensive end and in a three-point stance. The junior is hard to block because he stays square to the line of scrimmage even when closing on the ball or stringing the play out. McIntyre is 6’3" 225 pounds and uses his hands well to keep separation from blockers. [player_tooltip player_id="18141" first="Nick" last="Marinaro"] – Benilde-St. Margaret’s Marinaro missed part of the season due to an injury. He breaks down well in the run game and uses his arms well to kept blockers away from his body. Marinaro is quick off the ball and gets good depth on his pass rush. The 6’2" 260-pound lineman has good straight-line speed, allowing him to run plays down from the backside or down the field. Marinaro has interest from the NAIA level. [player_tooltip player_id="18111" first="Andrew" last="Thielke"] – Brainerd Thielke is tough at the point of attack. He uses his hands well and has good lateral movement. Those skills allow him to stretch outside runs to the sidelines. At 6’2" 210 pounds, Thielke keeps his pad level low, making him tough to move off the line of scrimmage - even when taking on double teams. Currently has interest from a handful of DII programs. [player_tooltip player_id="18209" first="Evan" last="Knofczynski"] – Minneapolis Washburn Knofczynski works down the line of scrimmage effectively. He has good upper body strength that helps him keep blockers off his body. He has a quick first step but holds up against double teams. Knofczynski can move inside to defensive tackle if need be. The 6’2" 210-pound lineman is also a solid offensive lineman and long snapper. He has DII and DIII interest.