DL Stock Risers in MO Class of 2022

Heading into the 2020 season, players and teams had multiple question marks. "Would the season be played? Can we get a full season in? How will all of this affect college recruiting?" The following players were able to get games in and by doing so, raised their stock in the eyes of the Prep Redzone scouts and college coaches. DL [player_tooltip player_id="96233" first="DeAndre" last="(DJ) Wesolak"], Booneville (Preseason 2020 Watch List Player to No. 4 overall and No. 2 DL) There might not be a player who improved his stock in 2020 more than DJ. Not only did Wesolak grow over the offseason, but he gained weight, muscle, and strength. There are times during the season where Wesolak simply took over games from the offensive and defensive sides of the football. The junior still has room on his frame to get bigger and room to grow as far as playing techniques. He could challenge [player_tooltip player_id="37521" first="Tyson" last="Ford"] for the top spot with a solid 2021 season. DL [player_tooltip player_id="37557" first="Marquis" last="Graciel"], St. Charles (Preseason 2020 No. 37 overall and No. 5 DL, now No. 11 over and No. 3 DL) Another young man who continues to grow as a player and person. Graciel has length, moves quickly off the snap, and uses his length to leverage to win at the point of attack. Graciel lines up all along the defensive front for St. Charles but will grow into a dominant defensive tackle at the next level. DL [player_tooltip player_id="99750" first="Ikenna" last="Ezeogu"], Blue Springs (Preseason 2020 Not Ranked, now No. 25 overall and No. 5 DL) Honestly, I had never heard of Ezeogu until about mid-season in 2020. But rumblings from the western side of the state told me to check out the freaky athlete lining up at defensive end for Blue Springs. I was not disappointed. There are tons of technical issues that the junior needs to work on to continue to ascend. But as a pure athlete, his get-off, balance, speed, and lateral quickness are God-given. The upside for Ezeogu is extremely high and college coaches are taking notice. <img class="wp-image-99998 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/01/20210125_140222-crop-946x622-1611605180.jpg" alt="" width="238" height="156" />DL [player_tooltip player_id="96229" first="Jeremiah" last="Nathan"], Rock Bridge (Preseason 2020 Not Ranked, now No. 77 overall and No. 11 DL) I can already tell you that if Nathan continues to gain strength and quickness this offseason, his ranking will go up. Maybe the best defensive linemen in this class in terms of hand usage, the junior is quick off the football, separates with long arms, and disengages with power. That is a hard talent to teach but Nathan is a natural. Once college coaches watch his junior film, offers will come flying into Columbia. &nbsp; &nbsp;