#NCEC Nashville: Top Performers – Offense
It was a star studded affair last Sunday at the #NCEC Nashville Combine where prospects from all across the state performed and tested themselves to the max in hopes of eventually earning college offers. Here we breakdown and take a…
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Continue ReadingIt was a star studded affair last Sunday at the #NCEC Nashville Combine where prospects from all across the state performed and tested themselves to the max in hopes of eventually earning college offers.
Here we breakdown and take a look at the top offensive performers from Sunday’s event.
Quarterbacks
- Stephen Swoner Stephen Swoner 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Mt.Juliet | 2022 TN (6’2 190) – Mt. Juliet
- Austin Breedlove Austin Breedlove 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB McCallie School | 2022 TN (6’2 185) – McCallie
- Connor Whaley (6’1 200) – Hebron Christian (Ga) ‘23
- Emmett Hegland (6’0 195) – Midway
- Damion Mitchell (6’2 200) – Memp. Overton
- Cooper Wick (6’3 185) – Baylor School
- Braden Graham Braden Graham 6'1" | 200 lbs | QB Riverdale | 2024 State TN (6’1 182) – Lipscomb Acad. ‘24
- Tevarius Strayhorn (6’1 182) – Mt. Pleasant
- Elisha Nieves (6’1 150) – MJCA ‘24
- Taylor Haas (6’0 192) – Ravenwood ‘23
Overview
– The QB MVP of camp, Swoner put together another strong day, especially in testing where he improved his numbers compared to his 1st #NCEC appearance. Swoner is a cerebral guy that brings leadership to the huddle but he is still waiting on that 1st offer; Breedlove was a close 2nd to me for MVP honors. He had a superb testing day and continued to look good during passing drills; Coming to Nashville from Georgia, Whaley showed up and showed out. He is a strong, stocky guy that showed solid mechanics and arm strength that will continue to improve over time; Hegland is a consistent performer that does all the small things right; The Green Wave quarterback had a really good day during testing, showing his improved athleticism; Mitchell is a bit of an unknown after missing his Jr season but he sports size and a big right arm; He does have talent that could translate to the next level.
Wick was one of the more impressive guys on the day; He has legit college size at 6’3 and showed the arm power that could work on the next level; I expect to see Wick grab some offers before his season starts; Graham had a good showing on Sunday and continued his upward progression as possibly the top in-state QB for the 2024 class; Strayhorn was the biggest surprise of this grouping; I have seen Strayhorn before but this was his most consistent day yet as it looks like he has improved his mechanics and understanding of playing the position; If you’re looking for someone that loves the work and wants to get better, Nieves is your guy; The 2024 signal caller had some of the best mechanics of all quarterbacks at the camp; Haas is a competitor that put forth a good showing at the combine on Sunday; He tested very well and showed good timing during positional drills
QB MVP: Stephen Swoner Stephen Swoner 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Mt.Juliet | 2022 TN – Mt. Juliet
Running Backs
- Craig Cunningham II (5’9 185) – Lausanne
- Noah Vaughn Noah Vaughn 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Maryville | 2023 State TN (5’9 180) – Maryville ‘23
- Justin Smitherman Justin Smitherman 6'0" | 200 lbs | LB Ravenwood | 2022 State TN (6’0 202) – Ravenwood
- Stef Ponder Stef Ponder 6'0" | 210 lbs | LB Father Ryan | 2023 State TN (6’0 195) – Father Ryan ‘23
- Antonio Patterson Antonio Patterson 5'11" | 190 lbs | ATH Oakland | 2022 State TN (6’0 195) – Oakland
- Tyrik Pirtle Tyrik Pirtle 5'10" | 165 lbs | RB Jackson North-Side | 2022 TN (5’10 168) – Jackson North-Side
- Jeremiah Skipworth, Jr (5’7 165) – Baylor Sch.
- Guy Bailey (5’9 182) – Somerset (Ky) ‘23
- Tre Hartwell Tre Hartwell 6'0" | 220 lbs | RB Independence | 2023 State TN (6’0 210) – Independence ‘23
- Connor Delashmitt (6’1 190) – Silverdale Baptist Acad.
Overview
– Coming out to Nashville from Memphis, Cunningham was one of the top performers of the day showing off a physical frame, balanced running and the ability to catch it out of the backfield; Cunningham is a underrated talent that should be getting bigger looks for college coaches; Vaughn was an impressive talent that could play a variety of positions; Quick, elusive and FB smart, look for Vaughn to have a breakout season for his Rebels team this Fall; Holding an offer from Tulane, Smitherman showed on Sunday why he is a college offered back; Strong and physical with the ability to play in space, Smitherman is a high quality teammate and young man that will play on Saturday’s next season; Ponder is an impressive looking guy that is positioning himself as one of the top in-state backs for the 2023 class; Patterson yet again put on a show at the #NCEC Combine; He clocked a 4.5 forty and then proceeded to run a 4.35 during his 3-cone drill; This is an athletic, highly talented back that has yet to receive his 1st offer.
Pirtle came to the combine as a bit of an unknown but after the proceedings were over, he clearly put himself on the map as a guy that can play on the next level; Fast, elusive and strong, Pirtle has that big ability you want in your star back; Skipworth, Jr tested at receiver but he is a versatile guy that can play multiple roles on offense; The Baylor offensive weapon had a stellar day clocking a 4.47 forty during testing as well as putting up another 4.47 during his 5-10-5; Bailey is a strong, balanced back that stood out on Sunday from his hard work and ability to listen to detail and execute it; Hartwell tested at receiver but his future in college is at running back; Hartwell tested at receiver to improve his receiving skills, so the fact he is willing to do that, shows you how much he wants to become the best player he can be; Delashmitt could be viewed as the top running back in the Chattanooga area for the 2021 season; He showed why that he could be true with his excellent combine performance in Murfreesboro on Sunday.
RB MVP: Craig Cunningham II – Lausanne
Receivers/Tight Ends
- Barion Brown Barion Brown 6'1" | 165 lbs | WR Pearl-Cohn | 2022 State TN (6’0 172) – Pearl Cohn
- (TE) Ty Lockwood Ty Lockwood 6'5" | 225 lbs | TE Independence | 2023 State TN (6’5 235) – Independence ‘23
- (TE) Carson Yates (6’4 215) – Baylor Sch.
- Adarius Liggon (6’0 185) – Dyer Co.
- Daniel Morra Daniel Morra 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Battle Ground Academy | 2022 State TN Morra (6’0 172) – BGA
- Timathyus Spikes (6’3 165) – Bearden
- (TE) Jack Busey (6’3 225) – Hendersonville
- Anthony Crowell (5’10 165) – Lebanon ‘23
- (TE) Zach Shannon Zach Shannon 6'2" | 215 lbs | ATH Anderson County | 2022 State TN (6’2 215) – Anderson Co.
- K.J. Whitney-Ray K.J. Whitney-Ray 6'2" | 195 lbs | ATH Smyrna | 2022 State TN (6’2 193) – Smyrna
Overview
– A talented group of receivers,it all starts with Brown, the 4-star prospect that always stands out among the others when on field. Brown is a big time athlete that added a new offer recently from Miami; One of the hottest recruits in the nation, Lockwood continued to show on Sunday why he is a wanted man by college coaches; Big, smart and can move, Lockwood is positioning himself as a top 250 prospect for the 2023 class; Yates was one of the biggest standouts of the day, proving what I see on film is true; He clocked a 4.54 forty then proceeded to put together a 4.31 time with his 3-cone drill; Yates is a explosive receiver that can run and separate; Liggon is a talented guy that is well put together and could excel on either side of the ball; Great worker and high quality young man too; Morra had one of the better testing days of all receivers; He continues to fly under the radar but definitely has the talents to play on the next level.
Spikes has been a rising prospect over the offseason that put together his best camp yet on Sunday; Long and tall, Spikes has a big radius along with the ability to catch the ball at its highest point; Busey had an impressive showing on Sunday, displaying a physical body, frame and the ability to shield off defenders; He could be an excellent combo tight end that can catch and block in the college game; One of the top underclassmen of the day, Crowell was a blazer that put up a 4.4 forty during testing than proceeded to look very good during 1 on 1 competition; A bit undersized, Crowell plays much bigger with a fearless attitude; A two way talent, Shannon camped and tested at TE on Sunday and really surprised many in attendance; Soft hands with physical game play, Shannon is a strong athlete that is simply a football player that will excel no matter where he is; Whitney-Ray is a talented guy that tested very well which shows you his potential an upside; A big guy with length, Whitney-Ray has the look and tools you want in a college receiver
WR/TE MVP: (TE) Carson Yates – Baylor School
Offensive Line
- Brycen Sanders Brycen Sanders 6'6" | 285 lbs | OL Baylor School | 2023 State TN (6’5 285) – Baylor School ‘23
- JaDarious Lee JaDarious Lee 6'4" | 305 lbs | OL Pearl Cohn | 2022 State TN (6’4 310) – Pearl Cohn
- Garrett Smith Garrett Smith 6'3" | 290 lbs | OL Portland | 2022 TN (6’4 280) – Portland
- Cal Grubbs Cal Grubbs 6'4" | 290 lbs | OL Maryville | 2023 State TN (6’4 275) – Maryville ‘23
- Mason Richardson (6’3 280) – Summit
- Ryan Hacker Ryan Hacker 6'4" | 270 lbs | OL IMG Academy | 2022 TN (6’4 270) – Beech
- Joe Crocker Joe Crocker 6'6" | 310 lbs | OL FRA | 2023 State TN (6’7 305) – Franklin Road Academy ‘23
- Ronan O’Connell (6’5 265) – Page ‘24
- Luke Moore Luke Moore 6'2" | 275 lbs | OL First Assembly Christian | 2022 TN (6’2 295) – FACS
- Khalil Walker (6’4 290) – Canton-McKinley (OH)
Overview:
– One of the deepest, most talented groups of camp, Sanders was the lead dog on the day where he dominated his position and showed why he is a Power Five offered guy; The Chattanooga area lineman worked at right tackle and proved he could stay on the outside on the next level; A wide bodied guy that can move, Lee was a standout lineman with his powerful hands and nimble lower body movements; He is another guy that could play right tackle or slide inside at the college level; Smith had one of his best days yet as he is a regular at our combines but Sunday was his best performance to date; The Panthers senior lineman has slimed up which showed at the combine with his mobile, active feet; He is also played with some feistiness too; Grubbs yet again put together a consistent performance at camp which only solidifies my stance that he is one of the best center prospects in the entire country, regardless of class; Richardson has a been a fast riser this offseason with his continued work and development of his craft; He continued that strong work on Sunday where he lined up in 1 on 1’s at both guard and right tackle.
Hacker was a strong standout at the combine after testing very well then proceeding to perform strong during 1 on 1 competition; A versatile guy that could play up and down the line, Hacker sports a nice frame that can take on more size; A Power Five offered prospect, Crocker was a beast on Sunday. He showed off his improved lower body mobility along with playing with strong technique. He still has a ways to go but Crocker has tremendous upside; O’Connell had himself a standout day as the top 2024 performer in attendance; Tall and long with an unfilled frame, O’Connell is a mobile guy that camped at guard but has the flexibility to play a variety of offensive line roles; One of the biggest surprises of the lineman was Moore as not only did he test well but he was a brick wall at guard during 1 on 1 competition; He has definitely improved his mobility along with becoming more balanced; Traveling to Nashville from the Cleveland area, Walker is a nice looking prospect that may have as much upside as anybody else on this list; He sports a nice body, frame along with long arms and a physical nature about himself that will only grow over time; Walker holds a few offers already but I expect to see many more come his way in time.
O-Line MVP: ‘23 (OT/G) Brycen Sanders Brycen Sanders 6'6" | 285 lbs | OL Baylor School | 2023 State TN – Baylor School