Tennessee Rush, 2022 Defensive Ends to Watch

"There will be no pass rush fun unless we stop the run" That statement above rings true to defensive line play throughout the high school and college level, you need a defensive lineman to excel at stopping the run and getting after the quarterback. This is especially important for the defensive end position, the ability to set the edge and turn the run game back in between the tackles and not letting running back outside is key. With that being said, being able to generate a pass rush from the outside and the ability to bend and stay on a tight track to the quarterback. Here are five defensive ends to keep an eye on from the state of Tennessee! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102026" first="Noah" last="Clifford"] 6-6 270 Ravenwood High School</strong> A physically imposing defensive end that is strong at the point of attack and can control the offensive lineman in front of him and stack and shed blocks quickly and effectively and can get lateral down the line and track down the ball carrier. He has active hands and you can see from his film that he uses speed to power in his pass rush arsenal. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101992" first="Eric" last="Gaston"] 6-5 240 Cane Ridge High School</strong> A physical athletic hybrid edge rusher that can stack and set the edge on the line and is precise with his hand placement and lands strikes and is patient to get after the ball carrier in the run game quickly analyzes the block he is facing and reacts. He gains ground quickly with his long strides and is tight on his path for his pass rush and makes key pressures on opposing quarterbacks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102035" first="Jordan" last="Shepherd"] 6-4 230 Peabody High School</strong> A versatile explosive edge rusher that has the experience and confidence to line up out in space and he transitions in and out of his stance effortlessly and is explosive, you can see it when he shocks offensive at the point of attack in the run game. A relentless pass rusher that has a good feel on when to use certain rush moves and is quick and concise and no wasted movement when executing the move. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102054" first="Malik" last="Sholanke"] 6-3 245 The Kings Academy </strong> A "twitchy" defensive end and what I mean by that he has an explosive step off the line of scrimmage and is into the offensive lineman quickly and disengages blocks quickly and makes key TFL’s on a consistent basis. He has active violent hands when rushing the quarterback and you can see that a quick swipe and rip under the offensive tackle and gets after the opposing quarterback. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102127" first="Shane" last="Siffrard"] 6-4 218 Franklin High School</strong> A tall athletic defensive end that has good awareness to recognize blocks and has active hands to be effective in block destruction to make plays in the opposing offensive backfield. He is an active pass rusher that has good flexibility to bend and get underneath opposing offensive tackles to get pressure on the opposing quarterback.