National Preps Showcase Top Performers: Linebackers

<em>In-depth look into some of the top LB’s from the National Preps Showcase at Arizona Christian. </em> <strong>Jeff Lambert, 2022, Corona Del Sol</strong> Lambert has a good athletic frame for a LB at 6’2” 210 lbs. and was one of the top all-around testers in the position group. He’s a plus athlete that is effective in both the run game and in coverage. He shows quick feet with good straight line speed and lateral mobility in pursuit. Plays downhill and always attacking, he’s violent at the POA using good leverage and natural strength. Good ability to shed blocks, showed he can beat blockers with quickness/technique or with brute strength. Strong in coverage, he can transition well using his athleticism and also showed plus ball skills. A guy to keep an eye going into his senior season. <strong>Cooper Scott, 2023, Perry </strong> A very good athlete that flashed good top end speed in addition to his short area burst/acceleration. Ran the top 40 time among the LB group. He’s a versatile backer that can line up all over the field. Tough to block, he’s able to use his speed and quickness to work around blockers and not allow them to get into his body. Does a good job weaving through traffic, locating the ball carrier, and being a reliable tackler. Shows the flexibility in his hips and ankles in combination with his foot quickness to turn and run to drop into coverage. Good build and foundational skill set but would like to see him improve his strength at the contact point and drive his legs through contact. [caption id="attachment_135373" align="alignright" width="226"]<img class=" wp-image-135373" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/AZ-NP-Showcase-Ata-Teutupe.jpg" alt="" width="226" height="226" /> Photo: National Preps Showcases[/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="100653" first="Ata" last="Teutupe"], 2022, Cactus</strong> Ata is a gamer and explosive playmaker from the LB position. He’s an impressive athlete with good speed, quickness, and lateral agility. Plays fast and physical with a great burst to quickly close space on ball carriers. Possesses a fast trigger that can quickly diagnose run/pass and has a great nose for the football. Uses his quickness to slip/avoid blockers and is smart in his pursuit angles, can line up a ball carrier and deliver strong contact in the open field. Good ability to keep his shoulders square to the LOS and play flat to contain outside runs while maintaining positional leverage. Excels as blitzer/pass rusher. High ceiling that can be a quality recruit and possibly transition to safety depending on scheme, development, and size. <strong>Brandon Wettstein, 2022, American Leadership Academy (Queen Creek)</strong> Smooth athlete with good speed and change-of-direction. He’s a savvy playmaker that plays well with his eyes and is efficient with his movement, very little wasted motion. Possesses a high football IQ and is smart with his attack angles, love the way he flies up to attack ball carriers and drives his legs through contact. Plays with good pad level and leverage to be strong at the contact point. His versatility allows him to be an impact player all over the field on both sides of the ball. Looking to build on a strong junior campaign when he racked up 57 tackles while being named First Team All-Region as a LB. [caption id="attachment_135371" align="alignleft" width="176"]<img class=" wp-image-135371" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/AZ-NP-Showcase-Quinlan-Popham.jpg" alt="" width="176" height="176" /> Photo: National Preps Showcases[/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="42730" first="Quinlan" last="Popham"], 2021, Estrella Foothills</strong> The 2021 grad was the region Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with 88 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 FF. He plays fast and physical flying around the field making plays sideline to sideline. He plays extremely well with his eyes making quick decisive reads to put himself in position to make a play. Strong and sure tackler in the open field he does a great job in pursuit and drives his legs through contact. Scouts loved his lateral mobility and short area burst to close space on the ball carrier. <strong>Other Notable Performances:</strong> <strong>Antonio Delgado, 2023, Desert View –</strong> Good versatility to play multiple positions. Quick and explosive off the ball as a pass rusher. Violent tackler that explodes through contact. Possesses quick feet and good mobility to pursue ball carriers sideline to sideline. Exciting player to watch. <strong>Kayden Luke, 2024, Ironwood Ridge – </strong>Good build/frame for a young developing LB with a strong lower half. He flashed good change-of-direction and lateral agility. Great potential and upside to build on. <strong>Braxton Taulagi Manusina, 2023, Centennial  - </strong>Quick feet with plus lateral agility. Good flexibility in the hips/ankles. A throwback LB that plays with an edge, he’s physical and aggressive always playing downhill and attacking. <strong>Carson Tininenko, 2022, Pinnacle – </strong>Good size and length. Strong at the POA. Showed efficient use of his hands to fight off blockers. Good ability to fill a gap or laterally scrape down the line to make a tackle.