Rankings Breakdown: 2023 Top 5 DLs

Tonight we are looking at the top five prospects at the defensive line in the Dakotas Class of 2023. We’ll peek at the skill sets each prospect has, what they can do to develop a higher rank, and who is "neck and neck" to either keep their spot or lose their spot if they don’t generate more this offseason. <strong>5. [player_tooltip player_id="56562" first="Andrew" last="Gillian"], Grand Forks Central (2023)</strong> Gillian holds our #5 spot for our Class of 2023 defensive line rankings. What caught my eyes most about Gillian was his massive frame (6’3, 220).  Gillian has minimal film, but with that being said, he has the potential to turn into an excellent DL prospect in the coming years. In my eyes, Gillian is a textbook tackler that, with more reps, could be a vital asset for the Knights over the next two seasons. <strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="56554" first="Simon" last="Van Vorst"], Rapid City Christian (2023)</strong> Van Vorst is a solid finisher when it comes to his physical tackling ability on film. What I like most about Van Vorst’s skill set is his reading ability between the tackles, as he uses his vision nicely for the Comets defense. Van Vorst also has a strong presence getting into the backfield, whether that’s in the rushing lanes or attacking the quarterback back there. If Van Vorst can develop more burst off the line in the coming years, you may see him climb higher up onto our DL rankings for the Class of 2023. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13205241/5d7d7822bd6ae20e6c0ecddc">Tape vs. Wall</a> <strong>3. [player_tooltip player_id="101154" first="Abaccus" last="Jallah"], Fargo South (2023)</strong> Jallah does a great job of shedding off blocks in the heart of the Bruins defensive line. This kid is a defined nose guard in my eyes that does a fantastic job in the middle rushing lanes attacking the tailback for short yards. Almost every play you see out of his film, you see a prospect that is progressing game by game, as you seldomly see a tailback get more than four yards with him in the middle of the line for the Bruins. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EXHD5">So. Tape</a> <strong>2. [player_tooltip player_id="101171" first="Quade" last="Parker"], Custer (2023)</strong> Parker has some of the best vision on this list by far. He has a great physicality level, especially on the outside lanes. Parker’s burst gets much faster once he crashes into the opponent’s backfields. Parker could use a little more time in the weight room to persuade us that he’s the #1 defensive linemen in the Dakotas as he’s one of the more undersized DEs on this list. From a skill set, he and our #1 defensive linemen are neck and neck, and it could get interesting once the May update rolls around. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12936101/5f9a18cb578f0a19e0d53c9a">So. Tape</a> <strong>1. [player_tooltip player_id="101153" first="Logan" last="Arason"], Grand Forks Red River (2023)</strong> Arason, in my eyes, is a DE at the next level, although he plays linebacker right now. Arason needs to develop a bit better shedding ability to keep his #1 spot for the May update. Arason, much like Parker, has intense physicality on the outside lanes. Arason grabs the #1 spot because of his massive frame and length (6’3, 220) and has the most significant potential to play at the next level. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2ERdmi">So. Tape</a> &nbsp;