PrepRedzoneIA Showcase DL Standouts: Session 1

Yesterday in the lovely town of Bettendorf we were lucky enough to begin our inaugural <em>PrepRedzoneIA </em>Showcase with our opening session of offensive and defensive lineman. With close to 40 prospects from the ’21, ’22, ’23, and even ’24 class signed up representing the state’s of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin there was a lot of talent and beef on the field of the TBK Bank Sports Complex. After the night of testing, individual drills, and 1 on 1 competition portion there were some notable individual performances from the defensive lineman during session 1, and all you have to do is scroll to find out which recruits showed out last night. Thanks for reading! Bib #1: <strong>Jacob Anderson </strong><em>(Durand) </em>2022. 6’5, 230 lbs. GPA 3.5. I had some trouble finding <strong>Anderson’s </strong>twitter, as well as his Hudl film, but after an in-person evaluation last night there’s a lot to like in the junior pass-rusher. Sporting one of the best frames at the entire event (legit 6’5, 230), he was long and powerful off of the LOS and in his first step. He’s raw in-terms of technique and hips, but all of the physical attributes are there and he displayed more than a few impressive 1 on 1 reps where you could hear the thud of his initial punch and overwhelmed OL with his length. Bib #3: <strong>Boston Bower </strong><em>(Huntley) </em>2023. 6’1, 220 lbs. GPA 2.8. @boston_bower - <strong>Bower </strong>came in as a young buck but played well above his experience level and showed off a nice array of skills that were highlighted by his impressive twitchiness and general quickness off the LOS and in his pass-rush moves. He was polished technique-wise, was patient in setting up his pass-rush moves, and had active hands with efficient placement. It was fun to watch. [caption id="attachment_96862" align="aligncenter" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-96862" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/01/2-7-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Boston Bower - Huntley 2023[/caption] Bib #4: <strong>Nick Eaton </strong><em>(Ankeny Centennial) </em>2022. 6’, 220 lbs. GPA 4.0. @neaton52 - The town of Ankeny product was one of the best built kids at the entire first session and sported a powerfully built upper and lower body, with thick shoulders and quads. I was excited to see him compete after he tested well in the 40 and short shuttles, and he lived up to the hype as he had some great battles with 2022 Illinois OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65764" first="Luke" last="Dalton"]</strong>, who currently holds three D1 offers. When <strong>Eaton </strong>popped OL with his initial punch, it was loud and forceful and was consistently effective in driving blockers backwards and getting them off of their base. He was an impressive combination of speed and strength and could use power or speed pass-rush moves to beat blockers. [caption id="attachment_96859" align="aligncenter" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-96859" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/01/2-4-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Nick Eaton - Ankeny 2022[/caption] Bib #7: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31027" first="Curtis" last="Jaskulke"] </strong><em>(Stoughton) </em>2021. 6’3, 210 lbs. GPA 3.8. @CurtisJaskulke - A player I had my eye on coming into the event, <strong>Jaskulke </strong>was a very pleasant surprise from our <em>PrepRedzoneWI </em>Showcase a month back who showed up and balled out with a refined pass-rushing skill-set. He again showed up in force in Bettendorf, and sold me once again on his loose hips, natural bend, ability to strong together pass-rush moves or counter OL, and quickness. He was able to consistently beat defenders inside or on their outside shoulder, and although he’s a little undersized for the position he is strong and a solid 210 lbs. with long arms and a lot more room to grow. I’m hoping some more NSIC schools take a look, and am looking forward to checking out a <em>Stoughton </em>game this Spring if possible. [caption id="attachment_96856" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-96856" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/01/2-2-crop-520x342-1610745865-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="31027" first="Curtis" last="Jaskulke"] - Stoughton HS[/caption] Bib #9: <strong>Aiden Morgan </strong><em>(Assumption) </em>2022. 6’4, 205 lbs. @aiden_morgo. One of the best athletes at the first session, <strong>Morgan </strong>came in and balled despite an ongoing wrestling season in-which his team needs him to cut some weight, so I was impressed with his competitiveness and strength and ability for his size. He’s put together at 205, and has a ton of strength in his frame that helped him to show off his overall explosiveness all night. He was more than a handful for OL, as they needed to gain depth and get out of their stance fast to make sure he couldn’t beat them with speed, which he still did whenever necessary. He also played low, and understood leverage where he could get lineman to open their hips with the power in his hands. With a great frame I think he has tremendous upside. [caption id="attachment_96864" align="aligncenter" width="225"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-96864" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/01/2-6-1-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Aiden Morgan - Assumption HS[/caption] Bib #16: <strong>Cole Silzer </strong><em>(Lockport) </em>2022. 6’3, 240 lbs. GPA 3.5 @SilzerCole1 - <strong>Cole </strong>came in with his brother <strong>Cody </strong>and it was obvious that <em>Lockport’s </em>competition would need to gameplan against the two twin pass-rushers, as they were both very well built, were legit 6’4 and 235+, and each rocked size 15 or 16 kicks, so there’s still room to grow. I liked <strong>Cole’s </strong>hips, and he had some good bend for his size and had outstanding length that he used to keep lineman from getting their hands on him. He’s raw as well, but him and his brother both have high ceilings and will hopefully get a chance to showcase their skills this spring in Illinois. Bib #17: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="23957" first="Braden" last="Simonsen"] </strong><em>(Ankeny) </em>2022. 6’3, 220 lbs. GPA 3.94. @BradenSimonsen - Just won a big-school Iowa state football championship with the <em>Ankeny Hawks</em>, and proved that their more than stellar defense will be in good hands next year and will at least be able to rush the quarterback. <strong>Simonsen </strong>was a great athlete for his size and tested well in both the 40 and the short shuttle, and showed off an ability to unlock his hips when necessary as well as utilize chops, stabs, and rips in the indy portion of our event. He had some impressive reps during 1 on 1s as well, and has great length for a 6’3 DE.