2021 DL Spotlight: Underrated Commits

From time to time, some players naturally draw more attention from fans and college coaches than others due to their phenomenal athletic ability. Sometimes, reasons for this can include a player’s size, raw ability, and even the school in which the attend. Just as we did with our 2021 DB Spotlight: Underrated Commits, we would like to shed some light on some more players we feel are underrated and believe will start to gain more attention this upcoming season. [player_tooltip player_id="33747" first="Zy" last="Brockington"] (DL) - 6’2 250 Colquitt County- Committed to Memphis [player_tooltip player_id="33747" first="Zy" last="Brockington"] is perhaps the most underrated player on this list. It is possible that the reason he has not received as much attention as he should is due to the fact that he does not always use his hands consistently as he comes off of the ball. This allows him to get covered up at times. Regardless of this, his natural ability is worth believing in. Not only does he have a developmental body and frame, but he already has a wide approach to his game that you would like to see out of someone who plays his position. Brockington uses his pure strength and arms to bring down ball carriers upon contact, and he explodes through his tackles. With this, those who have not seen Brockington play should also acknowledge his motor and ability to make tackles and plays in pursuit. We can almost guarantee that Memphis took a liking to these things, and will only become more of a fan of it over time. [player_tooltip player_id="33793" first="Sedarius" last="McConnell"] (DL)- 6’1 253 Westlake- Committed to Illinois Upon watching [player_tooltip player_id="33793" first="Sedarius" last="McConnell"]’s Junior highlights, it is evident that he made a jump from his sophomore year. Within a year, McConnell filled out a bit more, and appears to have gotten a bit more athletic. Perhaps the reason McConnell is underrated in comparison to other DT’s in his class is due to his inconsistent burst off the line. While he does not explode off of the line every play, the ability is clearly there. He shows flashes of someone who can fire off of the ball and get to the backfield, but most of the time, he uses his lengthy arms and wide lower body to assist him when plugging holes as he defends against the running game. Despite this, McConnell shows other upsides to his game as he finds ways to make plays in pursuit and makes tackles upon his first point of contact. Illinois will definitely not be disappointed as McConnell looks to make another leap in year 4. [player_tooltip player_id="33746" first="Jacob" last="Merrifield"] (DL)- 6’2 275 Winder- Barrow- Committed to FAU It is no doubt that FAU has big plans for [player_tooltip player_id="33746" first="Jacob" last="Merrifield"] due to his size and speed. As a Junior in high school, Merrifield has already filled out to 275 pounds, and can be seen to use his weight effectively when making tackles. Something else that is very attractive about Merrifield’s ability on the football field is his knack for getting to the ball carrier. Perhaps the fact that he plays both sides of the football may be the reason why this is such a strength of his. In other words, he is one of the most underrated defensive linemen for his class due to his instinctive ability and natural understanding of the game of football. Going into his senior year, Merrifield should look to improve upon his inconsistent lean when coming off of the ball, as well as his tendency to move stiffly at times. Improving upon these things will help him continue to develop as he prepares to play at the next level.